9. Nature As A Solution
Society faces a dual climate and ecological crisis, with habitat restoration and creation offering co-benefits for management. The Dasgupta Review, and independent, global review on the Economics of Biodiversity, identified that “our economies are embedded within nature, not external to it,” and this acknowledgement has been strengthened through the launch of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) which aims to build upon the success of the TCFD. The TNFD framework, set to be released in 2023, will develop a risk management and disclosure framework for organizations to report and act on evolving nature-related risks. It is hoped that this new framework will support a shift in global financial flows towards nature-positive outcomes.
Jacobs acknowledges the importance of nature-based solutions and broader natural resilience in managing societal challenges. For example, we are contributing to the Council for Sustainable Business’ Nature Positive Handbook on nature-positive design for infrastructure. And we partnered with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Research and Development Center to develop a guidebook on Engineering With Nature® Supporting Mission Resilience and Infrastructure Value at U.S. Department of Defense Installations.
We have also promoted the use of nature-based carbon offsets to bridge the gap between decarbonization efforts and net-zero carbon targets, providing advanced site-selection models for clients at a regional scale. We have a strategic partnership with Biomimicry3.8 providing “Project Positive” design solutions for clients and Jacobs is a member of Project Positive alongside Microsoft, Interface, Ford, Google and others.
Advancing the Science & Delivery of Blue Carbon
UK Environment Agency
Blue carbon is the carbon captured by marine and coastal ecosystems, such as saltmarshes, seagrass meadows and mangroves. Jacobs is at the forefront of advancing industry knowledge in this area through innovative studies:
- Measuring carbon stored in restored saltmarshes
- Reviewing U.S. coastal wetland carbon codes to help scope a U.K. saltmarsh carbon code
- Developing a pilot U.K. saltmarsh carbon code
Nature Positive Design Driving Sustainable Innovation
Ford Motor Company
Jacobs and strategic partner Biomimicry 3.8 are collaborating with Ford Motor Company company on their global sustainability strategy which integrates Positive Performance, a nature positive assessment and design methodology:
- Helping engineers, architects, landscape architects and planners to understand, emulate and facilitate ecosystem services
- Delivering positive environmental, health and wellness impacts through their designs
The approach is being piloted at a number of Ford’s corporate campuses and manufacturing facilities.
But we want to do more.
We acknowledge that the climate- and nature-related risks we face provide significant opportunities to drive nature-positive solutions that help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Over FY22 and FY23 we will look to:
- Develop a globally consistent approach for assessing natural capital risk and opportunities across geographies, in line with expected TNFD requirements.
- Develop a nature-positive design hierarchy which focuses on nature-based solutions, followed by nature-based design, prior to considering traditional engineered solutions.
- Develop training surrounding nature-based solutions which promotes nature-positive design and further embeds natural capital approaches, while highlighting the importance of Jacobs’ projects contributing to wider ecosystem scale recovery.