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Nature-Based solutions use natural resources to defend against climate change, hurricanes

Dr. Carrie Schuman, Climate Resilience Advisor at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. (Conservancy of Southwest Florida)

Here in Southwest Florida, our high heat, coastal positioning and close vertical proximity to sea level give us some unique environmental challenges. These include high heat, and being ground zero for destructive hurricanes.

With the dangers of climate change and storms, groups have developed an arsenal of solutions to those threats. Some of them are human-made, or gray infrastructure— think seawalls and cooling towers. But others rely on resources that we already have here on Earth. They’re called nature-based solutions, or green infrastructure.

One environmental advocacy organization that’s pushed to raise awareness about nature-based solutions is the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Since 1964, it’s been a leader in protecting the region’s ecosystems and habitats.

We sat down with the Conservancy’s Climate Resilience Advisor, Dr. Carrie Schuman, to learn more about nature-based solutions, their limitations, and a few examples.

Guest:
Dr. Carrie Schuman, Climate Resilience Advisor at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

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