Nature has a critical role to play in tackling the climate crisis – biodiversity conservation is key

We are at a tipping point. From unprecedented heatwaves in Europe and deadly hurricanes in the US, to devastating floods in Pakistan and Nigeria, 2022 has seen unprecedented weather patterns, occasioned by global warming as unmitigated greenhouse gas emissions increase in our atmosphere.

In 2021, extreme weather events cost the global economy an estimated $329-billion, and 4% of global annual economic output could be lost by 2050 due to climate change.

We are in a climate emergency. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report 2022 paints a bleak picture. While the plans submitted by signatories to the Paris Agreement would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they are not ambitious enough to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, with global temperatures predicted to rise between 2.1°C and 2.9°C by 2100.

Developing countries, including those in Africa, are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Though Africa generates less than 3% of emissions, the rapidly increasing climate shocks are bound to hit the continent and its people the hardest.

It is against this background that the Climate Summit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – the Conference of the Parties (COP) – is being held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The 27th edition (COP27) began on 6 November to deliberate on accelerating climate action including adaptation, mitigation and financing. This follows commitments made in the Paris Agreement, a global pledge to take climate action, penned by world leaders in 2015.

Tackling the climate crisis requires a multipronged approach. In 2015, developed countries pledged to mobilise $100-billion in climate finance for developing countries by 2020. However, only about $30-billion had been availed by 2020. Further, Africa has the smallest share of climate action investments compared with other regions. Therefore it is imperative for developed countries to meet these financial obligations, which will be instrumental for climate action.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Respecting the rights of nature is the only way out of climate chaos and biodiversity collapse”

Climate adaptation, where communities and systems manage the impacts of climate change, is another key strand in tackling climate change. Adaptation is one of the most effective pathways through which communities can cope with the worst effects of climate change. Further, climate mitigation, which includes actions to reduce emissions such as the reduction of fossil fuels, transition to renewable energy sources and use of new technologies, should be explored.

Incorporating nature-based solutions