Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Intact ecosystems provide best defence against climate change

Humans are adapting to climate change, but often in ways that further compound our effects on nature, and in turn the impact of climate change on us.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. IPCC Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral (eds Field, C. B. et al.) (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2014).

  2. Grantham, H. S. et al. Pacific Cons. Biol. 17, 241–258 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Watson, J. E. M. Cons. Lett. 7, 1–2 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ritchie, E. G. et al. Cons. Biol. 27, 1133–1135 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Driscoll, D. A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 16622–16627 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Smith, L. C. & Stephenson, S. R. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 110, E1191–E1195 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. CAFF Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Status and Trends in Arctic Biodiversity (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, 2013).

  8. Pielke, R. A. et al. WIRES Clim. Change 2, 828–850 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. The World Bank Convenient Solutions to an Inconvenient Truth: Ecosystem-based Approaches to Climate Change (The World Bank, 2009); http://go.nature.com/jUnzvL

  10. Hoffmann, A. A. & Sgro, C. M. Nature 470, 479–485 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ferrario, F. et al. Nature Commun. 5, 3794 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Bradshaw, C. J. A., Sodhi, N. S., Peh, K. S. H. & Brook, B. W. Glob. Change Biol. 13, 2379–2395 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Temmerman, S. et al. Nature 504, 79–83 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. UNISDR Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, 2011); www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/19846

  15. Jones, H. P., Hole, D. G. & Zavaleta, E. S. Nature Clim. Change 2, 504–509 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gilman, E. L., Ellison, J., Duke, N. C. & Field, C. Aquat. Bot. 89, 237–250 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Badola, R. & Hussain, S. A. Environ. Cons. 32, 85–92 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Reid, H. & Huq, S. in Tropical Forests and Adaptation to Climate Change: In Search of Synergies (eds Robledo, C. et al.) 57–70 (Center for International Forestry Research, 2005); http://go.nature.com/iymgtL

    Google Scholar 

  19. Shepard, C. C., Crain, C. M. & Beck, M. W. PLoS One 6, e27374 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. The World Bank Economics to Adaptation to Climate Change: Synthesis Report (The World Bank, 2010); http://go.nature.com/PAMHhs

  21. Coady, D., Parry, I., Sears, L. & Shang, B. (eds) How Large Are Global Energy Subsidies? (International Monetary Fund, 2015); http://go.nature.com/Eu5B3v

    Book  Google Scholar 

  22. Kareiva, P., Tallis, H., Ricketts, T. H., Daily, G. C. & Polasky, S. (eds) Natural Capital: Theory and Practice of Mapping Ecosystem Services (Oxford Univ. Press, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Schlenker, W. & Roberts, M. J. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 15594–15598 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Hochman, Z. et al. Eur. J. Agron. 44, 109–123 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Tengö, M. & Belfrage, K. Ecol. Soc. 9, 4 (2004); http://go.nature.com/88h933

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tara G. Martin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Martin, T., Watson, J. Intact ecosystems provide best defence against climate change. Nature Clim Change 6, 122–124 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2918

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2918

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing