Page 49 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 2

Çiğdem Coşkun Hepcan

and development of solutions to many social problems such as migration and
poverty (Erdoğan, 2021). In this sense, the steps taken today with the needs
and priorities of cities in mind will determine the future of cities.
Working with nature in adaptation to climate change has become an
important issue for national as well as international policies. Paris Agreement
emphasizes the beed for investment in nature. In nature-based solutions, the
resilience of ecological, economic and social systems is increased through
investment in nature and natural resources.
Similarly, through transition to a circular economy, the European Green Deal
aims to use resources efficiently, achieve decarbonization, invest in eco-friendly
technologies, produce sustainable food, preserve and restore biodiversity
and ecosystems, and reduce pollution. The Green Deal, which aims to render
the continent climate-neutral by 2050, states that by working with nature, it is
possible to protect the world and health European Commission, 2019).
The New EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change aims to increase
climate resilience in all sectors through smarter, more systematic, rapid and
international actions so that the EU can reach its 2050 net zero carbon goal.
In the strategy, it is stressed that it is important to benefit from nature-based
solutions to reach these goals, and there should be more rapid and frequent
investments on nature (European Commission, 2021).
When there is investment in nature, many requirements of EU such as
The EU Strategy on Green Infrastructure, The Habitats Directive, The Birds
Directive, EU Biodiversity Strategy, EU Floods Directive, EU Water Framework
Directive, EU Adaptation Strategy 2021 are met in return for really low costs
(Naumann et al, 2014).
The restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic affected the
economic activities worldwide. Many countries prepared development plans
to decrease the economic effects and protect the sources of income. The
call for “Green Recovery” issued by International Monetary Fund (IMF) clearly
stated the need for transition to a low-carbon economy to revive economic
recovery after the pandemic and secure our future.
However, the report on the precautions taken by the UN Development
Program in 2020 as part of the Green Recovery (UNEP, 2021), it was revealed
that the goals towards building a better world have not been reached yet
at a global scale. The report suggests that there have been investments
towards short-term economic profits, but many opportunities in the sectors
of agriculture, forestry, waste management and recycling towards actions on
adaptation to climate change haven’t been utilized properly. Although there
has been an increase by 35% between 2018-2020 in the financial aid given
by World Bank to projects focusing on nature-based solutions (World Bank,

35 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate