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The city hosted three virtual information sessions this summer, each with the goal of deepening the community’s familiarity with city climate work and inspiring collective action. The third session focused on an emerging field in environmental action called natural climate solutions. Here are five takeaways from the conversation.

1. We need to prepare for the impact of climate change. Natural climate solutions can help.

Policy Advisor Brett KenCairn began the session by acknowledging the changing world around us. “Climate change is a reality that we’re going to have to live with, with increasing regularity,” he said.

But we can slow these trends by working with nature. “The good news is that we can work with the living world in ways that improve our resilience to the disruptive forces of climate change,” said KenCairn. This approach is called natural climate solutions.

KenCairn pointed to the city’s work in its open space forests. By thinning forests, the city has improved their health, and importantly, made them more resistant to forest fires. When the NCAR fire threatened South Boulder earlier this year, work to reduce fuels prevented the blaze from spreading throughout the forest. “You’ll notice that the forest is not completely destroyed. That’s not a coincidence,” said KenCairn.

2. Natural climate solutions are new and historic.

While natural climate solutions are a growing area of focus for the city and community, its principles align with strong values held by generations of Boulderites, explained KenCairn. He noted that natural climate solutions are an intuitive next step in our community’s journey to become more sustainable.

“This area of work really grows out of our community’s connection to its living world,” said KenCairn. “We’ve been on the leading-edge of finding ways to take care of these places in ways that they can take care of us.”

3. The biodiversity crisis is as urgent as the climate crisis.

Natural climate solutions address both emergencies.

The world is facing two, interrelated challenges, said Senior Ecologist Rella Abernathy: the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. While the world warms and weather patterns change, plants, animals and fungi face existential threats. Many of these species are going extinct.

Locally, the biggest threat our ecosystems face is land degradation and fragmentation, said Abernathy. In response, community members are stepping up to create contiguous habitats in their own neighborhoods. Goss Grove resident Andrea Montoya is leading community efforts to create connected, pollinator pathways to support native insects and birds.

What we plant and how we control pests in our community matters, said Montoya. “By planting plants that are native to our area, we can attract native insects that evolved with them.”

Community members are protecting biodiversity one garden at a time and, in turn, are preserving healthy soils that absorb carbon, hold water and help regulate our local climate.

4. It’s time to pay attention to our trees and soil.

Lauren Kolb, the soil health coordinator for the city, will tell you that healthy soils are the foundation for vibrant local ecosystems. “When we have healthy soils, we have a wide array of ecosystem benefits that come along with it,” said Kolb. They absorb more water, preventing flooding and runoff; support healthy plants; absorb carbon from the atmosphere; and are less likely to erode, keeping our air and water cleaner.

Kolb described the city’s work to improve soil health on 16,000 acres of city-managed land, like open space and urban parks. These efforts include bringing in local compost, reducing soil disturbance, increasing plant diversity and incorporating livestock when appropriate.

Trees deserve our attention too, says local arborist Josh Morin. “The survival of our species – in many ways – depends on the ecosystems that trees are major players in.” Morin encouraged community members to find ways to get involved with protecting and planting trees in Boulder. “Any way that you can get into relationship with trees and plants – start there.”

5. Community action matters.

Regenerating the living world must be a community-wide undertaking. Fortunately, there are countless organizations in our community bringing people power to this effort. KenCairn outlined the city’s work to organize a broad group of partners under the banner of Cool Boulder, a community-led campaign to regenerate local soils, trees and habitats.

Launched this spring, Cool Boulder has tapped into the resources of groups like Eco-Cycle, the Tree Trust, the Butterfly Pavilion and over 25 other organizations to mobilize around three action areas:

1. Connected Canopies
2. Pollinator Pathways
3. Absorbent Landscapes

Cool Boulder is just getting started. Learn more and find ways to get involved on the campaign's website.

Did you miss the event? Catch the replay:

Catch Up on Past Climate Conversations

• Renewable and Resilient Energy Systems

Learn how the city is working to electrify Boulder's buildings and vehicles, grow local renewable energy generation, and improve energy access and affordability. Read the recap and watch the recording.

• Circular Economy

Learn about the city’s efforts to grow Boulder's circular economy, a system that reuses, repairs and recirculates existing products and materials as much as possible. Check out the recap and recording.

Original source can be found here.