The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of the natural world, has said that the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in the UAE was “exceptional in recognising the importance of nature” within the transition away from fossil fuels.
But whilst describing the move as “a step forward”, the IUCN said in a post- COP28 statement that it would continue to call for greater climate action and the removal of fossil fuels.
“This phase-out is imperative to prevent the worst impacts of runaway climate change and to allow nature to play its full role in addressing the climate crisis,” it urged.
The IUCN, whose membership is comprised of government and civil society organisations worldwide, updated their Red List of threatened species during the Dubai Conference. This came amidst renewed warnings from the organisation that incremental levels of a warming planet would lead to increased losses and damages for both humans and nature.
“Climate change is already impacting species and ecosystems, with disastrous consequences for human wellbeing,” they noted.
The importance of healthy ecosystems and nature-based solutions
The IUCN appreciated that the impact of nature had now been properly recognised within the Global Stocktake, the periodic assessment of international climate policy linked to the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“We believe that, alongside a rapid and just energy transition, investing in healthy ecosystems and nature-based solutions is critical to keeping the 1.5˚C goal alive. Nature will deliver powerful adaptation and mitigation benefits, provided we take ambitious action towards decarbonising our economies and societies,” they continued, noting that COP28 had made progress on a number of nature-based solutions linked to agriculture, water, mangroves and oceans, amongst others.
Whilst expressing concern about the lack of progress in delivering climate finance to help the worst hit regions adapt, the IUCN observed that the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund had been “a notable achievement” at COP28.
And it welcomed the greater recognition being given to the role played by indigenous peoples in safeguarding healthy, biodiverse ecosystems – but said that priority should be given to providing them with greater climate financing.
“By recognising the role of nature, we are taking steps in the right direction. Combined with scaled-up climate finance and the phase-out of fossil fuels, this will help realise a sustainable future for us all,” the IUCN statement concluded.
