WWF report identifies opportunities for governments to integrate action on climate and nature

A new WWF report published today at COP28 sets out how national governments can strengthen synergies between their national climate plans (NDCs) and national biodiversity strategies (NBSAPs). The report identifies a number of entry points to ensure that policy planning and implementation processes work together to deliver for climate, nature, and people.

Key actions identified in Breaking Silos: Enhancing Synergies between NDCs and NBSAPs include ensuring that national climate and biodiversity policy planning processes are integrated in the development of sectoral strategies; the prioritization and pooling of financial resources for policy measures such as nature-based solutions that can contribute to both climate and biodiversity objectives; and greater representation and resources for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to act on climate change and biodiversity through holistic approaches.

Public-private partnerships, along with non-state initiatives, are also highlighted as key catalysts for synergistic action - with the report recommending the expansion and alignment of their mandates with national biodiversity and climate targets.

Released ahead of Nature Day at COP28 (9 Dec), the report reinforces calls for COP28 to be the moment when nature is truly brought into the climate process through the Global Stocktake outcome and the establishment of a dedicated nature-climate work stream at future COPs.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Climate and Energy Leader at WWF International and CBD Action Agenda Champion for People and Nature, said: “The science is clear that we will not be successful in combating our connected climate and nature crisis unless we tackle them together. This report identifies opportunities to take integrated action for people, climate, and nature. This includes aligning national climate and biodiversity strategies so they are mutually reinforcing and prioritizing financial resources for policy measures such as nature-based solutions that have multiple benefits.

“Following the historic adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework last year, COP28 offers the opportunity to truly bring together action on climate and nature, and at the scale and speed required. We need to see the Global Stocktake recognize nature’s critical role in climate action and accelerate the implementation of nature-based solutions. We also need to see a dedicated climate-nature work stream at future climate COPs within the official negotiations process. There is not a moment to wait.”

At the international level, the report recommends the UNFCCC and UN CBD amend guidance for national strategies to guide countries to more synergistic national climate and nature plans. Stock taking moments - including both the Global Stocktake within the Paris Agreement process and the Global Review of the Global Biodiversity Framework - are also highlighted as key opportunities to integrate results into their NDCs and NBSAPs.

Through its ability to sequester carbon, nature is our greatest ally in tackling climate change and science is clear that reversing the accelerating loss of biodiversity is critical to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. The alignment of national action on both climate and biodiversity is essential to delivering an integrated response, which minimizes potential risks and manages trade-offs while maximizing co-benefits.

Notes 

The report is available on this link.

WWF and COP28
WWF’s COP28 expectations paper is available here, and all WWF’s COP information is here: www.panda.org/cop28.  Below is a summary of the essential outcomes:

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