Across the United States, local and statewide governments have taken the initiative to fund and develop nature-based solutions to climate change. Nature-based solutions focus on informed management of healthy ecosystems that are resilient and mitigate the effects of climate change. Some examples of nature-based solutions include using renewable energy, ecotourism, and tree growth in urban and rural environments. Despite the agenda of the current Administration, efforts to continue this important work remain in place, if not more inspired by the opposition to climate science and sustainability.

One example of a nature-based solution includes water management, which the George Shannon Memorial Wetlands in Texas can demonstrate. This project includes restoring wetlands using “sedimentation ponds and wetlands cells” to filter water diverted from the Trinity River. This project was implemented partly due to the need to sustain a rapidly growing population in North Texas that is expected to double by 2060. Each wetland pond can filter “95 million gallons of treated wastewater flows per day,” which come downstream from Dallas-Fort Worth. Each wetland and aquatic basin gets water pumped through it, where aquatic plants can help with filtration, and up to 95% of the sedimentation is filtered daily.

Multiple initiatives within cities such as Denver and Chicago aim to address climate change and extreme weather events through nature-based solutions. Another example is the Denver Green Roof Initiative, which was passed by the municipality in 2017, which mandated that buildings with 25,000 square feet or more must have part of their roof dedicated to a green, vegetative space. This helps manage stormwater, supports biodiversity by creating habitat for bees, birds, and other insects, and reduces a building’s energy consumption. A third example is the Chicago Green Initiative, which runs community gardens in the metro area, distributing produce to local food banks and shelters while promoting plants that help with biodiversity and help establish green corridors.

It is difficult to summarize the extent to which the United States has been incorporating nature-based solutions into its municipalities and state governments. Along with the current Administration, there has been a significant movement in the conservative agenda to destabilize and downgrade efforts to combat climate change. Recently, the Trump Administration has stopped funding the Urban Forestry Initiative, which aimed to plant trees in over 100 cities, tribes, and nonprofits nationwide to combat climate change’s effects in the most needy neighborhoods. This was being supported by the Arbor Day Foundation, which had acquired $75 million through a contract with the U.S. Forest Service, which was granted due to the Inflation Reduction Act. When the Forest Service terminated the contract in February, it stated it did not “align with agency priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Situations such as this are not abnormal. The Trump Administration continues to seek out ways to single out and eliminate initiatives that were supported through the previous administration and the IRA. Unfortunately, it comes when we need the most support to seek things such as nature-based solutions. As of 3/21/25, the federal government websites from FEMA and the EPA still have posts about nature-based solutions, but when funding dries up, where do we go from there?

My best answer to this is finding human-based solutions alongside nature-based solutions. As we continue to find the dire need to support the efforts to combat climate change and mitigate its effects, it is ever more important to talk about climate change with other people and continue to spread the word about things such as nature-based solutions. Connection and networking can do wonders for those concerned about the environment, and changing the mind of someone who remains in the dark about such topics is even more important to continue to fight against climate change. This also instills hope in oneself and others that we can continue fighting for what we need as a country, even when times seem dark.

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager Abby Carlson.