Equitable Nature-based Climate Solutions (ENACTS)
Introduction
The Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience is partnering with researchers at four other universities to conduct the National Science Foundation-funded Equitable Nature-based Climate Solutions (ENACTS) project. This project aims to center equity in the design and implementation of Nature-based Solutions for climate resilience in three living hubs. The Antioch ENACTS team is led by Environmental Studies faculty member and department chair Dr. Abigail Abrash Walton, PI, and ES MS students and graduate research assistants Amber Butler and Na Choih.
The overarching goal of the four-year ENACTS project is to understand and quantify the influence of NbS on community well-being and to conceive design principles and best practices that promote community well-being alongside environmental sustainability, resilience, and practicality. The research, supported by local knowledge, coupled with integrated social and natural sciences, engineering, art, and design, will create an ecosystem of academia, government, and communities. The ENACTS project team includes researchers from the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Louisville, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Rhode Island.
Abstract
The Equitable Nature-based Climate Solutions (ENACTS) project is a four-year, transdisciplinary, and participatory research initiative designed to center equity in the design and implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate resilience. Spanning three diverse living hubs in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Kentucky, ENACTS seeks to build new research infrastructure that bridges the social and natural sciences, engineering, art, and design. ENACTS aims to establish these three regions as global leaders in equitable NbS by integrating local knowledge and fostering collaborative partnerships between academia, government, and historically marginalized communities.
Nature-based Solutions are key strategies that use natural processes to address climate challenges, but their implementation has often been socially inequitable. The project’s two-pronged approach – focusing on distributional equity (ensuring fair distribution of NbS benefits and burdens) and process-based equity (ensuring inclusive decision-making, fair community participation, and fostering a sense of belonging) – addresses these gaps. ENACTS employs innovative tools such as GIS story mapping, community-based concept mapping, photovoice, and augmented reality to co-create solutions with stakeholders while also building capacity for community climate resilience.
ENACTS will identify best practices and design principles to enhance NbS equity, sustainability, and effectiveness through a combination of community-engaged research, capacity-building workshops, and co-developed interventions. The project will contribute to strengthening climate resilience and advancing environmental justice through an equitable approach to climate adaptation and mitigation by engaging local communities in all stages of research.
