On September 6 (U.S.), USJC held a webinar titled “Nature-based Solutions for Addressing Climate Change: An Outlook for Japan and the Asia-Pacific” which explored how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are emerging as multi-purpose solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation, the preservation of biodiversity and the creation of a new economic market.

Yuki Isogai (PwC Japan) moderated an esteemed panel discussion of experts, first setting the stage by providing definitions of NbS, addressing common misconceptions related to NbS and noting the multitude of benefits stemming from NbS.Allison Lewin (The Nature Conservancy (TNC)) elaborated on the definition of NbS in the context of climate change and shared how TNC’s programs are harnessing government and private sector net-zero ambitions to deliver NbS with meaningful people-, nature- and climate-positive outcomes at scale across the Asia Pacific.

Ken Haig (Amazon Web Services) presented on Amazon’s commitment to the The Climate Pledge which calls for net-zero carbon by 2040 through carbon elimination and neutralization, and how Amazon is utilizing NbS to scale up the removal of carbon from the atmosphere through reforestation and agroforestry projects.AOYAMA Hiroetsu (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan) discussed the evolution of Japan’s port environmental administration, which is presently focused on decarbonization, and shared about MLIT’s projects to promote environmental development aimed at conservation, rehabilitation and the creation of blue infrastructure.

Ms. Isogai then asked the panelists a series of questions probing expectations for the business sector to accelerate NbS, the business implications of Amazon’s investment and activity in NbS, what the public sector can do to support the activities of the private sector and promote NbS, and incentives for more private companies to invest in NbS projects.A private after-session discussion followed the webinar, with participants including select private, public and nonprofit representatives with an interest in climate and sustainability. The session allowed them to dive deeper into the potential opportunities for U.S.-Japan multi-sector collaboration on investing in and promoting NbS specifically and net-zero carbon projects more generally.

Click here to watch the full recording.

This webinar is part of the USJC Climate and Sustainability Initiative, supported by the initiative’s Founding Strategic Partner, Amazon.