LCR Snapshot: Building Equity Using Nature-based Solutions
Following the onset of COVID-19, ACT hosted a national webinar to share community-based initiatives that address social justice, equity, and climate action.
In November 2020, ACT facilitated a Canada-wide virtual webinar, Building Equity Using Nature-based Solutions, co-hosted by the Canadian Climate Adaptation Community of Practice. This webinar was a continuation of ACT’s work on a regional approach to green infrastructure, nature-based solutions and low carbon resilience, with a specific focus on the intersections of these solutions with equity and social justice.
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded with current and projected climate change impacts, highlight the urgent need for communities to take action on justice and equity, climate change, and biodiversity loss. The pandemic has exposed the cascading nature of these crises and the risks they pose, highlighting the intersectional nature of disparities and vulnerabilities in communities across the globe.
Governments and decision-makers can prepare for and reduce risks of these cascading impacts both by reducing vulnerability and promoting equity in policy, planning, and decisions. The urgency for this course of action is underscored by the severity of projected climate impacts. One way to approach the challenge of increasing and cascading impacts over time is to consider equity and climate change in all planning.
This snapshot is a summary of webinar outcomes, contributions of guest speakers Grant Fahlgren and Katherine Howard, and ACT’s research on equity and nature-based solutions.
