Nature-based solutions panel discussion

On September 19, 2022 the University of Waterloo launched the Sustainable Futures initiative – a collaboration that brings together the Waterloo Climate Institute, the Water institute, and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy to accelerate holistic approaches to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on the interconnections between energy, climate and water.

SOLUTIONSCAPES Principle Investigator, Dr. Nandita Basu, contributed to the afternoon technical panels on research programs and projects that are advancing climate change science and technology toward a net-zero future. She participated in the nature-based solutions panel moderated by Marjorie Shepherd, Director of Science and Technology Strategies at Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The panel included Dr. Pascal Badiou, Research Scientist, Ducks Unlimited Canada; Meaghan Eastwood, Supervisor, Climate Transition & Sustainability, Region of Waterloo; and Dr. Maria Strack, Canada Research Chair in Ecosystems and Climate, Professor, Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo.

This was a chance for Dr. Basu to share SOLUTIONSCAPES’ multidisciplinary approach to developing solutions and speak to the co-benefits of nature-based and other climate solutions, such as wetland restoration and use of biogas reactors to help identify the most promising solutions. It was also an opportunity to share how this work allows us to:

• identify the opportunities for climate mitigation within agricultural landscapes;

• imagine the possibilities for improved environmental outcomes through model simulations; and

• design for the future through development of multi-solution restoration scenarios that explicitly consider social and environmental tradeoffs. 

Watch the recording to learn more about the conversation and the Sustainable Futures Initative.