18 June 2026
Written by Julia Klawitter, UHOH ~ Edited by Ann-Catrin Fender, UHOH
The Myth
Rather than prioritising Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), society should focus on economic investment to keep social systems healthy.
The Reality
There is no such thing as a choice between ‘the economy’ and NBS. In practice, NBS are a form of economic investment that can support jobs, innovation, and social stability while reducing climate risks and biodiversity loss. The EEA’s major report on NBS describes how measures that work with ecosystems – such as restoring wetlands, renaturing rivers or greening cities – reduce climate and disaster risks – and at the same time bring “multiple co-benefits such as (…) improving human health and well-being, and providing jobs and business opportunities”1(p.12). Seen this way, NBS sit alongside other core public investments in transport, health or education: they make societies more resilient and productive.
Examples show that NBS can generate significant employment and regional development. IEEP highlights estimates that the Natura 2000 network of protected areas is estimated to support about 4.4 million jobs in the EU. The same report describes how the long-term restoration of the Emscher Landscape Park in Germany – transforming a heavily industrialised river system into a green corridor – generated an estimated 85,892 jobs over almost two decades and across sectors such as construction, engineering, tourism, and services2(p.4). NBS-related employment ranges from entry-level maintenance roles to highly skilled planning, engineering, and ecosystem management jobs and can be particularly important in marginal or poor regions. On the social side, air pollution and poor mental health impose annual economic burdens in the hundreds of billions of euros across the EU. Expanding urban green space and improving air quality through NBS can meaningfully reduce these health-related costs (IEEP 2021, pp. 4-5). To sum it up, IEEP highlights most notably: “Studies have shown that NBS projects, for example coastal habitat protection, have the potential to produce many more jobs per investment than traditional infrastructure projects such as in coal, gas and nuclear power generation.”2(p.4),3,4.
Public finance in Europe already reflects the view that NBS are part of mainstream economic and social investment. EU funds have been used to support billions of euros worth of NBS and green infrastructure projects across the continent1(pp. 91 et seqq.).Examples for recent EU projects are the projects Naturescapes and NATURANCE. These investments help leverage private capital and create stable markets for planning, construction, maintenance, and monitoring services. Because NBS projects simultaneously reduce climate risks, biodiversity loss, enhance quality of life, and unlock business opportunities, they function as smart economic investments that keep social systems healthier and more resilient in the long run.
Why this misconception matters
If NBS are dismissed as secondary to ‘real’ economic investment, Europe risks directing money into short-term growth that on top leaves societies exposed to floods, heatwaves, and health shocks. Recognising NBS as core economic and social investments supports more resilient jobs – which currently are needed more than ever – healthier populations, and lower long-term public spending in a climate-stressed Europe.
References
18 June 2026
