A turning point for collective action on nature?
Photo by Thomas Cristofoletti for WWF
Recently, G20 leaders came together virtually to discuss the steps that need to be taken to protect lives and shape a better future. Unsurprisingly COVID-19, which has wreaked so much havoc and disruption to people’s lives, was at the top of the agenda.
In the run up to November’s meeting, Business for Nature, alongside leaders from 12 other international business organizations wrote a letter to G20 countries calling for collaboration and co-operation across economic exclusion, social inequality and environmental degradation, to deliver an inclusive and resilient recovery. We weren’t the only ones. 20 wildlife conservation organizations including our partners - The Nature Conservancy, the Born Free Foundation, Conservation International and WWF - also published a letter asking the G20 to prioritize nature, health and people in an effective and equitable COVID-19 recovery and response.
The overlap between these letters is striking – both ask for urgent action on nature and climate, while ensuring people, livelihoods, jobs and skills remain central.
The conservation NGOs letter, for example talked about the need to value and invest in nature to prevent future pandemics by developing sustainable nature-based economic stimulus packages. The business letter also supported this, calling on the G20 to recognize the planetary emergency, redirect financing from polluting industries, commit to reversing nature and biodiversity loss by 2030 and safeguard at least 30% of the world’s oceans and land by 2030.
What’s inspiring is to see the conservation and business community asking for such similar ambition levels. Could this be a turning point? One in which governments really do step up their ambition levels and mobilize radical action to reset our systems for a carbon-neutral, nature-positive world?
The G20 Leaders’ Declaration shows that priorities are shifting with stronger language on the environment, climate change and biodiversity. Leaders agreed that “Preventing environmental degradation, conserving, sustainably using and restoring biodiversity, preserving our oceans, promoting clean air and clean water, responding to natural disasters and extreme weather events, and tackling climate change are among the most pressing challenges of our time.”
Now we need to build on this, and other examples of government leadership such as the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, and to translate these international declarations into implementable and binding policies, laws, incentives and investments that are necessary but not always clearly stated. We’re looking ahead to two crucial meetings: the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) where governments must adopt a new transformational Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, COP26), where 200 countries will meet to advance global climate ambition. At COP26, nature and the role of nature-based solutions is one of five areas identified to discuss.
As a result of the pandemic these meetings have been postponed from this year to next. During this time, nature has continued to be exploited. We must work together to make sure 2021 delivers a sustainable, more resilient and inclusive future for us all.