CARE’s Capacity Statement on Nature-based Solutions and Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change
Climate change is the most urgent crisis facing humanity today. The past decade (2011-2020) was the warmest in recorded history, and under current climate policies, the world is heading toward a 2.7°C increase by 2100. This would have catastrophic effects on people across the globe and the ecosystems we depend on. The impacts of climate change are already visible. During the last two decades, climate change contributed to over 7,000 natural disasters, affecting four billion people at the cost of $3 trillion. Simultaneously, climate change is causing gradual changes in environmental conditions with the potential to undermine decades of progress in reducing poverty around the world. Climate change disproportionately impacts the countries that have contributed least to its causes. And women and girls living in poor and vulnerable communities face disproportionate risks: 81% of people displaced by climate change are women. Pervasive harmful social norms and institutional biases and discrimination continue to hold them back. Without greater action, climate change threatens to push 130 million people into poverty by 2030 and displace more than 216 million by 2050.
This capacity statement outlines CARE’s expertise in Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). These powerful approaches, which involve protecting, sustainably managing, and restoring ecosystems, are a cornerstone of our work. They provide a cost-effective and equitable way to build community resilience while simultaneously addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
This document demonstrates how CARE integrates gender-equitable governance, community-led stewardship, and a rights-based approach into the design and implementation of NbS projects. We will detail our core methodologies and provide programmatic examples from around the world to showcase our ability to deliver sustainable, just, and impactful solutions.