Moving from pledges and promises to progress – and none too soon

Last week, at both the UN General Assembly (#UNGA77) and the 14th annual #ClimateWeekNYC – and the events that lived in the margins of both, there was a palpable sense of urgency. As leaders from sovereign nations, multinational corporations, civil society, and more crisscrossed Manhattan you could sense that we are also moving from pledges and promises to progress – and none too soon.

Tuesday saw an exciting development marking a new political declaration to commit to finding and resourcing funding for nature at a landmark event for leaders. For too long, the finance issue has been a challenge and sticking point in moving ahead with bold action for nature. To date 16 countries have endorsed it and we expect others to add their names in the coming weeks. The event Countdown to COP15: Landmark Leaders’ Event for a Nature-Positive World also saw world leaders declare the success of UN Nature COP15 a priority for their governments and called for all countries to work together to secure an ambitious global biodiversity agreement in Montreal in the face of an escalating nature crisis that is threatening health, food security, and livelihoods.

Among friends, partners, and colleagues that evening, I was heartened to hear Prime Minster Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador, and Deputy Head of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, among others, make bold pledges, as well as an announcement from Germany which pledged an additional €0.87 billion per year in international biodiversity funding — more than doubling its current commitments. I was also inspired by Susan Muhamad’s call to ensure we rightly listen more closely to the voices of Indigenous people, local communities, and youth.

In addition, the next phase of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC for Nature and People 2.0) was announced supporting the protection of at least 30% of land and ocean globally by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica. An accelerator for action on biodiversity was also announced by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia on behalf of the President of Colombia.

We know that we have woefully under-valued and under-invested in nature. This pledge is a shared commitment to action from leaders across sectors and governments to center nature in economic plans, including stimulus recovery efforts. Our research shows that we need to spend an additional $600-$800 billion annually to reverse the biodiversity crisis—and that governments can pave the way with the right policies, regulations, and incentives. By combining political will and hard numbers, we can shift to a nature-positive world, address the climate emergency, and build a future where people and nature thrive together.

As we move toward #COP15 there is finally an up-swell in action to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 for sustainable development including -

1. The development and full implementation of an ambitious and transformational post-2020 global biodiversity framework;
2. Transitioning to sustainable patterns of production and consumption and sustainable food systems that meet people’s needs while remaining within planetary boundaries;
3. A green and just response to the current health and economic crisis and,
4. Investing more money in biodiversity and nature-based solutions while committing to the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Events in New York on Wednesday also marked real action for people and nature via the news that the Government of Barbados and TNC have just closed a debt conversion transaction as part of a Blue Bonds for Ocean conservation project that will unlock $50M for marine conservation over the next 15 years. As part of the project, Barbados will commit to protect and effectively manage up to 30% of the nation’s oceans, specifically the Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea (more than 55k square km). As an island nation surrounded by a marine space that is 430 times the size of its land area—and where 40% of national GDP is dependent on tourism—this project will result in transformative, lasting impact for communities throughout Barbados.

Shifting to tangible action for renewable energy, on Thursday, Microsoft, Planet Labs and The Nature Conservancy announced Global Renewables Watch, a first-of-its-kind living atlas intended to map and measure all utility-scale solar and wind installations on Earth using artificial intelligence and satellite imagery.

Mitigating the impacts of climate change is a massive undertaking that will require a rapid global buildout of renewable energy alongside other emissions reduction efforts. We need at least a nine-fold increase in renewable energy production to meet the Paris Agreement goals and much more to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The land-use footprint for this buildout will be enormous. Accelerating that renewable transition requires a smart buildout that safeguards natural areas and supports goals for climate, conservation, and communities.  With this new collaboration, we are taking our extensive science-based conservation experience so that we can bring this type of data and information to an even broader audience. 

Finally, I closed out the week in conversation with journalists, producers, trade experts and corporate sustainability leaders to discuss what’s truly needed to transform our global food system. Between regenerative agriculture and restorative aquaculture, we have massive potential to mitigate climate change and restore biodiversity, while also maintaining or even improving the livelihoods of food producers. In addition to changing how we think about where we find and secure nutritious and sustainable sources of food, we must keep equity at the center, meet our producers where they are and making regeneratively grown food accessible for all. We'll only get this done with courageous collaboration that shifts our global supply chains and capital flows.

A year on from #COP26 in Glasgow where government and business leaders made ground-breaking commitments to halt deforestation and protect nature, we can and must continue to take the action needed to ensure a future where people and nature thrive. From Climate Week in New York to #COP27 in Sharm El-Sheik and #COP15 in Montreal, every opportunity must be leveraged to ensure profound re-commitment for urgent action on climate and nature loss.