Partners in Action: The Nature Conservancy Joins Powerful Coalition to Boost Natural Climate Solutions

The USN4C Blog will regularly feature blog posts written by members of the U.S. Nature4Climate Steering Committee highlighting the reasons their organization chose to join the U.S. Nature4Climate coalition.  This month’s post is written by Cathy Macdonald, The Nature Conservancy’s North America Director of Natural Climate Solutions and the Chair of the USN4C Steering Committee.


Cathy Macdonald, North America Director of Natural Climate Solutions at The Nature Conservancy, Chair of U.S. Nature4Climate Steering Committee

Growing up in Oregon, I developed a lifelong love of natural and working lands – from exploring Oregon’s coastal estuaries, rafting Oregon’s many rivers, and climbing Oregon’s iconic Cascade Mountains, to picking strawberries and cherries in summers to earn my first paychecks, and planting trees to help the Tillamook State Forest heal from major wildfires. Working for The Nature Conservancy, I have been able to carry my passion for the outdoors into my career. And in my time working for The Nature Conservancy, I have learned two important lessons.

First and foremost, I know the natural places I cherished as child and have worked to protect these past decades are at increasing risk to due to climate change. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has long recognized the enormous impact climate change will have on our mission – to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.  That is why we support strong, comprehensive action to address the climate challenge.

There is no question that, to avoid the irrecoverable impacts of climate change we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all energy and industrial sectors. But we won’t ultimately succeed unless we also unlock the power of our forests, farms, grasslands and wetlands to naturally remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in plants and soils.

Evening paddlers on Sparks Lake along the beautiful Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway in Bend, Oregon. Photo credit: Paul Carew

Our country’s natural and working lands already reduce total U.S. emissions by 11 percent. By increasing our investment in the protection and restoration of native habitats and managing our country’s forests and farms in ways that store more carbon, we could more than double the contribution natural and working lands make to address climate change.

In addition to their climate benefits, these “Natural Climate Solutions” help enhance soil health and agricultural productivity, improve water and air quality and provide landowners and surrounding communities with jobs and new sources of income.  These practices also help preserve our nation’s rich biological diversity. In short, Natural Climate Solutions help The Nature Conservancy fulfill our vision of a world where people and nature thrive.

The second thing I have learned during my career with TNC is that the best solutions to conservation challenges happen when diverse stakeholders work together. That’s why The Nature Conservancy joined forces with environmental, agricultural, conservation and sustainable business organizations to create the U.S. Nature4Climate Coalition.

The purpose of our coalition is to elevate the role Natural Climate Solutions can play as a critical component of a comprehensive climate action plan for the U.S.  

Despite the enormous contribution Natural Climate Solutions can make to improve our environment, our livelihoods and our climate outlook, the power of natural and working lands are too often overlooked.

Through the U.S. Nature4Climate coalition we can share the best information on the role that natural and working lands can play and use our extended networks to educate others involved in addressing climate change about the untapped potential of Natural Climate Solutions. Our coalition serves as a force multiplier in our efforts to marshal nature in efforts to slow climate change. 

If you are interested in learning more about our coalition, please sign up for our monthly newsletter

Catherine Macdonald is the North America Director of Natural Climate Solutions at The Nature Conservancy and the Chair of the USN4C Steering Committee.


Podcasts Highlight Growing Support for Natural Climate Solutions

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action “Food Farm Facts” Podcast

In November 2020, U.S. Nature4Climate was proud to participate in U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action’s “Food Farm Facts” podcast, which is dedicated to bringing together sustainability thought leaders in the food and agriculture sector, with special attention paid to the farmers and ranchers who are taking action to make U.S. agriculture more sustainable.

The podcast discussed the work U.S. Nature4Climate is doing to facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration to increase support for Natural Climate Solutions.  The episode also featured the perspectives of small forest-owner Rebecca Tuuk and Maryland farmer and Chair of U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action Chip Bowling, who discussed how forest owners, farmers, corporations and non-profit organizations are working together to share lessons learned and adopt best practices as landowners. 

During the episode, Cathy Macdonald, the Chair of U.S. Nature4Climate Coalition’s Steering Committee, spoke about the un-tapped potential of Natural Climate Solutions to play a key role in efforts to rein in climate change.

“Unfortunately, natural and working lands are not often thought about by the people that are focused on advancing climate mitigation. Investments in Natural Climate Solutions have been much lower than investments and other important climate mitigation strategies. By being able to pull together a diverse set of organizations and great networks like U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action, we’re hoping we can do more to kind of elevate the importance of natural and working lands,” Macdonald said.

Bowling highlighted why they chose to become involved in the U.S. Nature4Climate coalition: “We knew as an organization and as a board that someone had to take the lead on climate change and how we’re going to change it as agriculture.” 

Bowling sounded a hopeful note about U.S. agriculture’s future role in addressing climate change.  “I think [in five years] we’re in a better place than where we are now because we’re doing practices that are making a difference. We understand now that what we’re doing, we have the data and science tells the truth that how we’re farming and where we’re farming does make a difference.”

Outdoor Industry Association’s “Climate Klatch” Podcast

Another recently launched podcast, the Outdoor Industry Association’s “Climate Klatch,” highlighted the Outdoor Industry Association’s support for Natural Climate Solutions as part of our overall strategy to address climate change.  The podcast featured Amy Horton, OIA’s Sustainable Market Innovation, who highlighted the outdoor recreation industry’s support for natural climate solutions as a key climate strategy.

“We support [carbon] sequestration as part of a comprehensive solution to climate change that also includes reducing emissions,” Horton said. “We’re asking Congress and federal agencies to protect and preserve our country’s lands and waters as Natural Climate Solutions, so the forests, farms, wetlands, grasslands have the potential to absorb more than 20% of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States – equivalent to the emissions from all U.S. vehicles.”

These podcasts highlighted the diverse and growing coalition supporting Natural Climate Solutions – a coalition that includes environmental organizations, farmers, forest owners, sustainability-focused businesses and the outdoor recreation industry.

“There are also some really unique coalitions forming that we in the outdoor industry are participating in alongside your traditional conservation and land groups, the hunting and fishing community, farming and ranchers. We’re all coming together to promote what are called natural climate solutions,” Horton said, mentioning U.S. Nature4Climate and Conservations for Climate Solutions as two examples.

Nathan Henry is the Project Manager for U.S. Nature4Climate.