Nature Is Climate
At Bio4Climate, we contribute to planetary regeneration through research, education, collaboration and action to restore essential global biodiversity . . . and create a new climate story.
Biodiversity loss is not just the result of climate change, it is a primary driver of climate change. Only solutions that prioritize this web of life will create a truly livable climate for all.
Upcoming Events and Courses
Emergent Intelligence of Trees: How Symbiosis Shapes Living Systems
March 18 – May 20
Wednesdays at 12:00 pm ET and 7:00 pm ET
Trees are architects of Earth’s climate and habiability. Through transpiration, carbon chemistry, soil formation, and symbiotic partnerships with fungi and microbes, forests regulate rainfall, stabilize atmospheric systems, and cool entire regions.
Jim Laurie’s Spring 2026 Course – Emergent Intelligence of Trees explores how ecological intelligence emerges through cooperation across living systems—and how restoration can help rehydrate landscapes and rebuild resilience.
10-week course begins March 18
Registration is now open! Reduced rates and scholarships are available.
How Trees & Forests Shape Our Climate
February 5 – March 26, 2026
Thursdays — 12:00 Noon ET
Recently, Brazilian forest advocate Antonio Nobre wrote: “Deforestation is climate action’s blind spot.”
In this course, you will examine the ways in which trees and forests benefit our climate, while preventing flooding and drought and also providing habitat for a myriad of wildlife species. Hart brings his unique perspective and values to an exploration of the false notions, narratives and mythologies that are used to justify cutting down trees.
You will also engage with a range of highly qualified experts, and we will ask and answer questions like these:
- What are the mechanisms within forests that cool our climate—through shade, water evaporation, water cycling, and sponge-like absorption that prevents floods, droughts, wildfires and extreme heat?
- What role do microbes, fungi and wild species play in the climate-regulating mechanisms of a forest?
- What is the difference between a forest and a tree plantation?
- What is the extent of logging in North America?
- How do we choose between a forest and a solar array?
and many others…
Restore Nature – Cool the Planet
Only nature has the ability to both cool the planet and lower greenhouse gas levels. Our planet is already too hot and too dry to maintain a stable climate and support life. These 4 Climate Keys are interlocking pieces of the cycles we must repair to quickly stop warming and start cooling the planet.
Cool
Healthy ecosystems full of biodiversity create direct cooling effects for our hot planet. More Nature = Less Heat.
Hydrate
Keeping water in the ground supports plants, crops and people. Beavers, insects and microbes are part of the Infiltration Team
Plant
Planting for biodiversity creates healthy ecosystems. Forests sequester carbon and use water vapor to move heat away from the Earth
protect
Indigenous leadership and wisdom can help us. Stop deforestation, industrial ag, mining, and pollution that kill off biodiversity.
Replace with regenerative practices
Q:
What about atmospheric carbon dioxide – you know – the greenhouse effect?
A:
It’s an important part of the story, but not the whole story. Learn more.
Who We Are
Bio4Climate Tells the Hidden Stories
For nearly a decade we have looked behind, around, and under the prevailing climate narratives for the missing pieces of the puzzle. We continue to bring you authors, ecorestoration specialists, and scientists from around the world who explore the interlocking systems that create a livable climate.
Stay on Top of the
Climate Conversation
Through education, policy and outreach, we promote the great potential of inexpensive, low-tech and powerful nature solutions to the biodiversity and climate crises, and work to inspire urgent action and widespread implementation of many regenerative practices.
This Week
News and Insights
15 Biodiversity Conservation Issues Scientists are Watching in 2026
Each year, a panel of scientists, practitioners, and policymakers from institutions across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, and South America identifies emerging issues not yet well understood in the conservation community. Led by Cambridge University ecologist William Sutherland and running annually since 2009, this year’s panel of 26 experts drew on input from nearly 700 contributors worldwide to surface 15 trends that are shaping the future of biodiversity, from AI-powered monitoring to new international forest protection funding mechanisms.
Smartphone App Empowering Communities to Participate in Research and Environmental Monitoring
Finnish researchers have developed a smartphone app that can generate 15 million bird detections by using machine-learning to classify recordings This “digital twin” approach not only produces accurate biodiversity predictions, it opens the field to everyday citizens to contribute to conservation science.
Events and Community
Community
Floating Wetland Webinar with Water Stories
Would you like you and your community to be more prepared for the impacts from climate change?
Join Mark Haubner, member of the Bio4Climate Leadership Team, president of the North Fork Environmental Council, and co-chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee of the Town of Riverhead, Long Island, as he explains the nature-based solutions he has been promoting in his community to cool the temperatures and to “slow the flow” of rainwater in order to rehydrate the landscape.
Slow the Flow / Nature Cools: Nature-based Solutions Workshop
Thursday, March 26
7:00 – 8:00 PM EDT
on Zoom
Experiencing the Impact of Land and Water Degradation Firsthand
Bio4Climate intern Betty Bitengo knows what it’s like first-hand to live through the impacts of land and water degradation in her community.
In her very first post on her new Substack account, Betty recounts her experience. You’ll be deeply moved and in awe—not only by her lived experience as a child—but by her incredible talent as a writer.
Books for Biodiversity Lovers
Life
The Wild Wonders of Biodiversity
By Jennifer N R Smith with contributions from Joanna Bagniewska
The seasonal transition from winter to spring is an ideal time to introduce the wonders of biodiversity to the next generation of climate advocates.
Using stunning illustrations printed in eco-friendly HUV ink, Life highlights the importance of protecting and supporting biodiversity in our natural world and looks at ways that we can help to save our planet’s wildlife.
Life is part of a larger series by author Jennifer Smith that introduces young people to the fascinating elements that make our planet unique and irreplaceable.
By purchasing this title through the link provided above, you’ll continue to support Bio4Climate. We are an affiliate partner of Bookshop.org and receive a portion of the sales price at no additional cost to you. View the Bio4Climate Bookshop for more books.
The 2025 Northeast Miniforest Summit featured more than a dozen speakers across two virtual half-days and an in-person bus tour, bringing together practitioners, researchers, and leaders from diverse fields to unpack the Miyawaki Method from root to canopy.
Recordings Are Now Live! Learn more and stay connected at miniforests.bio4climate.org
Tell nature’s climate story, the story of connection and life.
― Beck Mordini
Transformation in Mexico
Eco Restoration Works
Watch what happens! A degraded landscape in Mexico is transformed by regenerative management. It took only two years (the arrow points to the same tree).