The case for nature-based solutions to climate change

Nature's Fastest Path: Scaling Protection of Forests, Wetlands and Soils

A small Midwestern town watches its once-stable riverbanks erode after heavy rains, with nearby fields losing topsoil and local wetlands shrinking from development pressure. Residents wonder how to curb the carbon they release while rebuilding resilience before the next storm.

Patricia M. DeMarco centers her argument on a direct claim: protecting and restoring forests, wetlands and soils offers the fastest, cheapest way to draw down carbon. She frames these ecosystems as ready-made infrastructure that sequesters carbon through everyday biological processes rather than waiting for unproven technologies.

DeMarco builds her case by contrasting the speed and cost of natural systems with engineered alternatives. Forests capture carbon in living trees and soils; wetlands trap it in saturated ground; healthy soils store it through root networks and microbial activity. Because these processes already operate at scale worldwide, expanding protection and restoration requires policy changes more than invention.

Applied to the river town, DeMarco's thinking points to immediate local actions. Replanting riparian forests along the eroding banks would stabilize soil while pulling carbon from the air. Reconnecting and restoring the shrinking wetlands could slow floodwaters and lock away additional carbon in muck and vegetation. Improving farm soil practices on surrounding fields would reduce erosion and increase underground storage. Each step uses existing land rather than new construction.

Policy support becomes essential for scaling. Local zoning that shields remaining forests and wetlands from further loss, combined with incentives for farmers to adopt soil-building methods, turns individual efforts into community-wide impact. These measures align with DeMarco's emphasis on nature-based solutions as both climate tools and practical land management.

• Identify priority parcels of forest and wetland for permanent protection
• Partner with agricultural landowners on soil restoration programs
• Update stormwater rules to favor wetland reconnection
• Track carbon benefits alongside flood reduction to justify continued investment

The result reframes the town's erosion problem as an opportunity to deploy nature's own carbon-drawdown systems at neighborhood scale.

Which nature-based solutions could be scaled in your community?