Global day of action COP26 Climate Summit Glasgow 2021 (C) Nick Hawkes (rspb-images.com)
The RSPB’s Melanie Coath and Alex Mackaness are attending COP28 in Dubai where they will be pushing for ambitious outcomes for nature and climate in the UN climate talks that kick off this week.
The RSPB has attended many COPs to fly the flag for nature, but COP28 will be a COP like no other in a year like no other. Summer 2023 has been the warmest on record globally by a large margin with vast areas of the US and Mexico, Southern Europe and China experiencing extreme heat. Additional countries, such as Greece, Libya and Hong Kong have also faced devastating floods. Climate change is disrupting the way nature functions and impacting lives and livelihoods around the world; the need to limit further climate change has never been more urgent.
A burnt egg, RSPB Dovestone Reserve July 2022 (c) Tom Aspinall (rspb-images.com)
This year’s UN climate talks at COP28 desperately need to land commitments to rapidly phase out fossil fuels and protect the world’s precious ecosystems. Yet the negotiations are taking place in Dubai, one of the world’s biggest exporters of oil, and will be overshadowed by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the crisis in Gaza.
Nevertheless, COP28 also presents unique opportunities for both climate and nature. It is the culmination of the world’s first Global Stocktake, a major review looking at whether the world is on track to hit targets set by the Paris Agreement in 2015. Spoiler alert: we’re nowhere near. But this huge assessment of progress will set out what is needed to course-correct and deliver the ambition required to tackle dangerous climate change.
One thing is for certain – we need greater ambition to protect and restore nature around the world. Last year the world agreed a new Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. But the science is clear the climate and nature emergencies have to be tackled in tandem – we can’t solve one without tackling the other. So, the Global Stocktake is a brilliant opportunity to connect the climate and biodiversity conventions. There is already momentum behind this message – on Nature Day at COP28, Ministers will convene to discuss how to link national climate and biodiversity plans.
There is not just the opportunity to make strides on aligning nature and climate action but also to address some of the existing outdated and problematic UNFCCC approaches. These include carbon accounting rules that drive large-scale bioenergy, despite its damaging outcomes for nature and climate. Plus, definitions that don’t recognise the difference between natural forests and plantations and, driving conversion from one to the other with huge consequences for wildlife.
The RSPB will be taking these messages to world leaders, Ministers, and negotiators over the next couple of weeks and we will be reporting on the highs and lows of the talks as we push for a safer climate future for nature and people.