Opening Session
Hosted by: Nature4Climate, IUCN, Business for Nature
Our understanding of nature’s role in the fight against climate change, as well as the full range of benefits that nature-based solutions deliver for people around the world is now commonly accepted. To build on this momentum, the opening session brought together leaders from across the nature-based solutions spectrum.
“When it comes to solutions, we know that nature-based solutions underpin the Race to Zero. They are one of the most powerful ways for countries to enhance their national climate commitments in the lead up to COP26 and they are definitely a win-win in the transformation to create a nature-friendly economy that can deliver 395 million jobs and create $10 trillion of economic value by 2030.”
— Gonzalo Muñoz, Chilean COP Champion, COP26 Team
“As underlined in the ‘Together with Nature’ principles, the promise of nature-based solutions must not be undermined by failure to take action on ambitious reductions of greenhouse gas emissions… From our side, our Union will continue to support ‘Nature’s Place in the Race’ for building a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient world, including through the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille next year.”
— Stewart Maginnis, Global Director for Nature-Based Solutions, IUCN
“Clearly all of us fundamentally depend on the natural world around us; so, for the sake of people and planet, turning this grim trajectory around is the most important challenge of our age. If there is a silver lining, there is an opportunity to use the considerable funds being made available to build back better.”
— Lord Goldsmith, Minister for the Pacific and the Environment, UK
“You need to tap into the skills of the young people because right now the young people are speaking up for climate action – and they are mobilising for nature-based solutions. There is a lot going on at the grassroots level – we need to raise these voices and empower them in their work.”
— Elizabeth Wathuti, Founder of Green Generation Initiative, Kenya
“The best the private sector can do is to provide clear targets and connect that to their business model – and produce in a way so that nature-based solutions are not something that’s nice to have but the way that companies operate from here-on.”
— Marcelo Behar, VP of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, Natura
“In the big picture, we need to build understanding of ‘nature positive’ in the finance community and we need to change the framing to one of investment opportunities.”
— Sagarika Chatterjee, UN Principles on Responsible Investing
Watch the session
Speakers
Nigel Topping & Gonzalo Muñoz, High Level Champions; Stewart Maginnis, IUCN; Carolina Schmidt, Chile’s Environment Minister & COP25; Lord Goldsmith UK’s Minister for Pacific and Environment; Musonda Mumba, UNEP; Sunny Verghese, Olam & WBCSD; Marcelo Behar, Natura; Mina Setra, AMAN; Elizabeth Wathuti, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya; Binbin Wang, ICCSD China; Sagarika Chatterjee, UN Principles on Responsible Investment.
