Living in Harmony with Nature? Climate, Biodiversity and Planning Futures

The climate and ecological crises have elicited a range of narratives regarding the planet’s future. Dramatic mitigation and adaptation actions are needed to ensure liveable futures for humans and non-humans alike. Recently, the term “nature-positive” has emerged signalling the need to shift from extractive to regenerative relationships with nature—going beyond the protection of, and the principle of “do no harm” to, biodiversity and ecosystems. This chapter explores how the vision of “living in harmony with nature” is articulated in two major global frameworks: the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), particularly its SSP1 scenario. It then considers the implications of these visions for planning theory and practice, critically reflecting on these frameworks’ ability to translate high-level goals into spatial strategies and anticipatory imaginaries. The chapter argues that planning must move beyond the operational integration of climate and biodiversity targets into existing systems, embracing a more forward-looking role and imaginative approaches to help shape regenerative and equitable urban futures in a time of planetary change.