Why enhancing nature and reducing carbon emissions must be considered together

Urgent action is needed by the construction industry to put nature on the same footing as carbon reduction during design and delivery – and we cannot afford for it to take as long as it did for net zero to become business as usual.

The need for fast paced change now comes from the opportunity for nature to support decarbonisation of infrastructure developments. Focusing on carbon net zero alone will not enable delivery of the overall environmental benefits that are required. It is clear that reducing carbon and enhancing nature can no longer be siloed when designing, building and maintaining infrastructure and the two issues must be considered together.

The case for bringing nature into the equation and how to start doing it is put in the spotlight by the new “Nature: the missing piece of the net zero puzzle” report from the Net-Zero Infrastructure Industry Coalition (NZIIC).

The NZIIC is a group, founded by Mott MacDonald in 2019, with members drawn from across the infrastructure sector and academia to rapidly mobilise the industry to meet the net zero challenge by 2050, or earlier. Previous NZIIC reports have focused on the net zero challenge, but this new work is the first to place the emphasis firmly on enhancing nature alongside decarbonisation for infrastructure developments.

The report demonstrates that focusing just on net zero can result in perverse outcomes, as what is good for net zero is not necessarily good for nature, and vice versa. The carbon sequestration capabilities nature offers, as well as how to set a “carbon” baseline for nature to allow project teams to start to understand the impact their plans will have, are set out in the report. Two case studies also establish early theories on how to build “carbon” baselines for nature into project development plans and the key considerations.

Beyond the case studies, this report shows the path ahead and how we can all take meaningful and long-term action for infrastructure developments to enhance nature in ways that help tackle climate change, while also aligning with measures for net zero. What we need on infrastructure developments is one plan that delivers for enhancing nature, reaching net zero carbon emissions, strengthening resilience to climate change and delivering social benefits. Not only will this drive efficiency, it will also deliver more balanced outcomes for the environment and society.

As an industry we have made great progress on net zero over the last five years, but we just don’t have that amount of time to take action for nature. The report sets out the issue and pragmatic solutions so that the sector can enhance nature alongside net zero measures, resilience and adaptation and prompt debate to progress an integrated approach to nature and climate change. Enhancing nature on infrastructure developments calls for engineers to develop new skills that need to be married up with their growing carbon reduction knowledge.

The mandating of biodiversity net gain into some new planning applications in England earlier this year is a step forward, but mandating nature considerations more broadly in the built environment will take time. In the absence of legislation, it is important for us as an industry to take the lead and guide asset owners and government to making the right decisions in the same way as we did on carbon reduction.

What the NZIIC needs following publication of the report is the industry to share projects and initiatives that are trailblazing the way for enhancing nature jointly with net zero actions, which we can all learn from. Only through this leadership will we be able to develop best practice and the practical steps that will mean, enhancing nature becomes business as usual within a few years, not a decade from now.

This article was first published by New Civil Engineer on 10 July.