Accelerating nature-based solutions to achieve California’s climate change goals

Our lands are a critical yet underutilized sector in the fight to achieve carbon neutrality and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. In October 2020, Governor Newsom called for accelerated use of nature-based solutions to deliver on California’s climate change goals through Executive Order N-82-20. Among other action items, called for this Strategy to align relevant existing state efforts under one cohesive strategy and identify land management actions that help protect climate vulnerable communities, achieve carbon neutrality, improve public health and safety, and expand economic opportunity.

“Once again, California is taking on the mantle of global climate leadership and advancing bold strategies to fight climate change,” said Governor Newsom. “The science is clear that, in our existential fight against climate change, we must build on our historic efforts in energy and emissions and focus on our lands as well. California’s beautiful natural and working lands are an important tool to help slow and avert catastrophic climate change.”

NEW: Draft Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy has been released for public comment through November 9, 2021! This Strategy will inform the 2021 State Adaptation Strategy and the 2022 Scoping Plan.

If you or your organization has images of before and after climate smart land management projects, successful nature-based solutions; or iconic California landscapes we would love to feature them in our final version. For details on how to submit images check out the How to Provide Input on the Draft Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy section, below.

Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets

As called for in Assembly Bill 1757 (2022), the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Air Resources Board, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and more than 40 State agency partners collaborated to develop nature-based solutions (NBS) climate targets for 2030, 2038, and 2045 that contribute to California’s goals of achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and protecting Californians from the climate crisis.

California’s NBS climate targets were released on April 22, 2024.

California’s NBS Climate Targets

Governor’s Office Press Release

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Appendices

Methodology – California’s Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets
Target Alignment - California's Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets and Expert Advisory Committee Target Recommendations
Expert Advisory Committee Recommendations

Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy

NEW - 2025 UPDATE TO CALIFORNIA’S NATURAL AND WORKING LANDS CLIMATE SMART STRATEGY

Assembly Bill 1757 (signed by the Governor September 2022) calls on the Natural Resources Agency to update the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy, in collaboration with the California Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The Natural Resources Agency will be soliciting public input to inform the updated strategy over the coming months through a series of public workshops and tribal roundtables.

On February 1st, we kicked off public engagement on the update. In this webinar, we provided key background, outlined our approach, and answered participants’ questions on the work ahead. You can find a recording of the kick-off webinar here.

After this kick-off webinar, we hosted virtual workshops organized around California’s eight natural and working landscapes. Our goal was to gather input on how the strategy can best drive climate smart land management to deliver on California’s climate goals – achieving carbon neutrality and building resilience to climate impacts. We recommended participants briefly peruse the existing priority nature-based climate solutions and the cross-cutting priorities prior to joining, which can be found here.

Discussion Questions:

Are there changes you’d recommend we make to the existing priority nature-based climate solutions for each landscape?
Are there changes you’d recommend we make to the existing cross-cutting priorities?
What are the biggest barriers to implementing these nature-based climate solutions?
What solutions exist to overcome these barriers, and how can state government most usefully advance them?

Landscape-Specific Workshops were held from 12-1pm on the following dates:

Grasslands: Monday, February 5 – view recording
Forests: Tuesday, February 6 – view recording
Sparsely Vegetated Lands: Wednesday, February 7 – view recording
Seagrasses and Seaweeds: Friday, February 9 – view recording
Wetlands and Water: Monday, February 12 – view recording
Shrublands and Chaparral: Tuesday, February 13 – view recording
Developed Lands: Wednesday, February 14 – view recording
Croplands: Tuesday, February 27 - view recording.

The Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy will drive implementation of the Governor’s Executive Order and expanded climate action in this sector, which has been called for in California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan and California’s recently updated Climate Adaptation Strategy.

California’s first Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy was released on April 22, 2022.

Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy (full size 25 MB)

Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy (reduced size 10 MB)

Estrategia Climáticamente Inteligente De Tierras Naturales Y De Trabajo (en Español)

Appendices

Natural and Working Lands Expert Advisory Committee

The Natural and Working Lands Expert Advisory Committee will support the implementation of AB 1757. AB 1757 directs the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Air Resources Board to establish an expert advisory committee to inform and review modeling and analyses for natural and working lands, to advise state agencies on implementation strategies and standardized accounting, and to provide recommendations on addressing barriers to efficient implementation of climate action in natural and working lands.

Learn more about our committee members here.
Frequently asked questions about this committee can be found here.
You can access the final recommendations from the committee on nature-based solution climate targets (November 2023) at this link.

Upcoming Meetings

Please wait for our upcoming meeting.

Past Meetings

Materials from the November 6, 2024 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the November 6 meeting is here
Recording from the November 6 meeting is here

Materials from the September 12, 2024 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the September 12 meeting is here
Recording from the September 12 meeting is here

Materials from the July 11, 2024 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the July 11 meeting is here
Recording from the July 11 meeting is here

Materials from the May 30, 2024 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the May 30 meeting is here
Recording from the May 30 meeting is here

Materials from the March 28, 2024 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the March 28 meeting is here
Recording from the March 28 meeting is here

Materials from the January 23, 2024 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the January 23 meeting is here
Recording from the January 23 meeting is here

Materials from the November 13, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the November 13 meeting is here
Recording from the November 13 meeting is here

Materials from the October 12, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the October 12 meeting is here
Recording from the October 12 meeting is here

Materials from the August 22, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the August 22 meeting is here
Recording from the August 22 meeting is here

Materials from the July 18, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the July 18 meeting is here
Recording from the July 18 meeting is here

Materials from the May 22, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the May 22 meeting is here
Recording from the May 22 meeting is here

Materials from the April 25, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda from the April 25 meeting is here
The recap of the April 25 meeting can be found here.

Materials from the March 28, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda of the March 28 meeting is here.
Recording from the March 28 meeting is here.

Materials from the Feb 10, 2023 Expert Advisory Committee

Agenda of the Feb 10 Expert Advisory Committee is here.
Recording from the Feb 10 meeting is here.
PowerPoint presentations can be accessed here and here.

Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) is required by Senate Bill 27 (Skinner, 2021) to create a Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry. The Registry is intended to facilitate funding of nature-based and direct air capture projects that deliver on California’s climate goals.

Please visit this page for answered Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to SB 27 and the Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry.

NEW: On June 30, 2023, CNRA launched a beta version of the SB 27 California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry for user testing and feedback. The beta site can be accessed at the following link: https://climateprojectregistry.resources.ca.gov/. CNRA is requesting feedback regarding user interface and experience be sent to naturebasedsolutions@resources.ca.gov by COB, Friday, August 18th to be considered in the final Registry design. Please note that this a beta version of the Registry and projects cannot currently be listed or backed at this time. The projects currently listed on the Registry are for demonstration purposes only and are to allow users to see how projects could be displayed, searched, and evaluated for backing.

CNRA released a pre-rulemaking document, a Concept Discussion Draft regarding SB 27 implementation on March 29, 2023. This document was open for public comment until May 30, 2023. The Concept Discussion Draft contains two appendices, Appendix A: Draft Regulationand Appendix B: Illustrative Eligible Projects.”

Language services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of these services, please make sure your request is submitted at least 15 business days prior to the comment period deadline by contacting outreach@resources.ca.gov.

CNRA hosted a virtual public workshop on the Concept Discussion Draft on May 9, 2023. In this workshop, CNRA staff provided an overview of SB 27, walked through the Concept Discussion Draft, and facilitated discussion among workshop participants. A recording of this workshop can be found here.

In early September 2022, CNRA held two public workshops to gather feedback on the development of the project registry. Please see the following recording of the workshop plenary for more information.