February news update: Business for Nature kicks off the year with nine suggestions to deliver an ambitious global agreement on nature

 

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No one said a world make-over to become “nature-positive, net-zero and equitable” was going to be easy. As we bed into 2021, we’re sharing this update with a mixture of feelings. We’re deeply concerned for everyone who is suffering around the world as a result of COVID-19 and its devastating consequences in so many ways. We’re also feeling optimistic about what we can collectively achieve this year, in particular around the key UN conferences on biodiversity (CBD COP15) in Kunming, China, and climate change (UNFCCC COP26) in Glasgow, UK, in November.

The year started with some positive and hopeful signs of leadership for the planet. France’s President Macron hosted the One Planet Summit. The High Ambition Coalition launched, with over 50 countries supporting a global target to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. And last week, the independent Review team from the UK Treasury published The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review – more on this below.


Getting down to business

Business for Nature continues to amplify the leading business voice to drive policy ambition on nature. We’re delighted to welcome six new members to our Strategic Advisory Group: LafargeHolcim, Safaricom, Sintesa Group, Sompo Japan, Suzano and Wipro.

Companies need to commit and act to become nature-positive themselves – take a look at our new high-level and accessible steps to become nature-positive which we hope you find helpful. But businesses also need to advocate for nature. One way of doing this is to suggest specific text amendments on the zero draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (the Framework) to reflect the contribution the private sector can make to protecting and restoring nature.

We’re delighted to share our nine suggestions for negotiators to include in the Framework, aiming to strengthen its ambition. Our partners and more than 100 businesses head-quartered in 31 countries have provided input. It builds on our policy recommendations and on the momentum of our Call to Action, ‘Nature Is Everyone’s Business’ through which 700 companies (including yours, we hope!) are urging governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss. A huge thank you to everyone involved in helping shape and develop this position. Please feel free to share it with your government contacts.

Latest CBD updates

Is your company engaged in CBD?
Is your company interested in stepping up your support and engagement in our advocacy work in the run up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15)? Businesses played a key role ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement, and now we need an equally strong business voice if we’re to adopt an ambitious global agreement on nature which puts us on the path towards a nature-positive, net-zero and equitable future. Let us know!

Watch our business introduction to the CBD
On 28 January, more than 1,000 people registered for our CBD business information session to understand a bit more about the CBD process and how to get involved. If you couldn’t make the call, we’ve shared the recording, key takeaways and slides along with some of the Q and A that were asked. We’d like to greatly thank our speakers, Markus Lehmann from the CBD Secretariat and Wang Ying from the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

When will CBD meetings take place?
While COP15 is still officially planned for May, it is highly unlikely to happen due to continued uncertainty as a result of COVID-19, but the CBD is working hard to ensure COP15 can happen as soon as possible. October 2021 is one possible option, but nothing is yet confirmed.

Informal CBD technical meetings (SBSTTA 24 and SBI3) are planned to take place virtually in February and March 2021. These are discussion sessions, where no negotiations will take place.

The Dasgupta Review and 25 February event

On 2 February the UK Treasury published The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. This influential report stresses the need for ambitious policies that transform our economic and financial systems – so that we value and embed nature in decision-making and disclosure to go beyond short-term profit and GDP.

On 25 February at 2.00pm CET, Professor Dasgupta will join us at an event co-organized with WWF and the Capitals Coalition where he’ll provide an overview of the Review alongside a panel of leading business, finance and political figures.


News from our partners

  • Find out how the banking sector can become an active part of the solution to deforestation in the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership’s report ‘Banking Beyond Deforestation’.

  • The Science Based Targets Network is looking for African, Latin-American and Asian businesses to join their Corporate Engagement Program and help design new targets to protect and restore nature.

  • Join We Value Nature’s 10-Day Business Challenge from 11-24 March for a series of practical sessions and challenges to help you take the next steps on your nature journey.

  • Have your say before 1 March on the draft of the Water Guidance from CDSB that aims to strengthen water-related disclosures.

  • The Born Free foundation launches a new short film called ‘Protect Them. Protect Us’ narrated by their Founder Patron Joanna Lumley OBE that explains why we must take action now to reset our relationship with the natural world.

Thank you again,

Eva Zabey

Executive Director – Business for Nature


 
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