An approach to assess the world’s potential for disaster risk reduction through nature-based solutions

Abstract

Nature-based Solutions (NBS) have been increasingly advocated as means of achieving a greener and sustainable future. Although discussion on the definition, scale and applicability of NBS in country and city-level agendas are ongoing, NBS have received less attention in terms of them supporting country-level approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). This paper uses a series of indicators reflecting national capability and national necessity for NBS as a means to support DRR activities. Using both Principal Components Analysis and Cluster Analysis results show that of a total of 178 countries, two groups emerge; with countries in one group showing high levels of both national capability and necessity for NBS. Such countries are also found to be around 23 % more likely to be currently implementing disaster risk reduction actions than countries with lower capability and necessity scores, showing that NBS are actively supporting DRR activities around the world. Such countries are a mixture of Global South and North countries while showing no statistical significant differences with respect to socio-economic characteristics, indicating that NBS can be equitable means of achieving potential synergies between DRR-reducing NBS and grey infrastructure projects for climate change adaptation measures.