Social protection can be a strategic tool for climate risk management and provides an important answer to the current calls for climate action and for increased resilience as we recover from COVID-19.

Moving towards net zero GHG emissions by 2050 is likely a pre-condition for avoiding global warming higher than 1.5o C by the end of the century. The land-use and agriculture sector can provide close to one third of this global commitment while ensuring food security, farmer resilience, and sustainable development.

“Nature-based solutions” (NbS) have been defined as “actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges…”. The societal challenge to which NbS are most commonly applied at present is the mitigation of climate change.

The South Asia region is both a large contributor to climate change and also one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. This paper provides an overview of the region’s vulnerabilities, national committments to mitigate emissions, and national policies to adapt to a changing climate.