Nature, climate and land
All you need to know about this year’s three big environmental conferences
The climate crisis, biodiversity loss, land degradation, desertification and drought are deeply intertwined facets of the planetary crisis.
With most of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) currently off track, we must urgently act to tackle this crisis and secure a livable future.
This year, three major environmental Conferences of the Parties (COPs) are occurring within six weeks of each other.
They represent a unique opportunity to tackle our most pressing issues, head on, and together. The challenges we face don’t exist in isolation and neither do the solutions. The outcome of the COPs is critical to our future.
Here’s what you need to know.
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DesertificationRiyadh, Saudi Arabia2 December – 13 December
Last is the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, COP16, which ran 2-13 December 2024.
Why is it important?
Healthy topsoil not only underpins all life on earth it’s an essential ally in the climate fight and we are losing it at alarming rates. Every second around the world the area equivalent to four football fields of healthy land becomes degraded.
So, this is, almost literally, the bedrock COP?
As the Cree people of North America say, “you can’t eat money”. There will be no stable climate without a stable natural environment, nor a sustainable future without healthy land. Likewise, we can’t tackle poverty, food and water security, or even human rights without the earth beneath our feet.
The desertification COP is the global voice for land and drought resilience, and is related to one of the three major UN treaties known as the Rio Conventions. Its aim is to restore 1.5 billion hectares of degraded landed by 2030.
What is the Riyadh outcome?
The meeting elevated the issue of land and degradation of ecosystems, as well as drought and two key reports were presented to show the links between land and the planet’s health and the money needed to close the funding gap.
The Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership was launched, with US$12.15 billion pledged so far. The Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and Caucus for Local Communities will ensure that their unique perspectives are adequately represented. Private sector and scientific support was strengthened through the Science-Policy Interface and the Business4Land initiative.
What role does UNDP play in the COPs?
UNDP’s Peoples’ Climate Vote found that 86 percent of people want countries to set aside their differences and work together on climate change.
We support countries to develop, implement and align their Nationally Determined Contributions, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, and Land Degradation Neutrality targets. Through our Climate Promise and the Nature Pledge, we work with more than 140 countries on adaptation, mitigation, carbon markets, forests and policy.
Our mission is happy, healthy people living in harmony with nature on a thriving planet. The three planetary crises the COPs address – climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and land degradation – are its gravest threats. This year’s meetings are an exciting opportunity for us to reimagine the future, for us and all the life forms.
There, you’re all caught up!
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