COP is Not an Excuse for Lack of Nature Ambition

World leaders are convening for another global summit and, once again, back-room behind-the-scenes business-as-usual deals seem more important for some senior attendees than tackling the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced.

The current President of COP, who ironically also heads the UAE state oil firm, is probably right in saying that there is no real plan for phasing out fossil fuels. But, this does not negate the scientific evidence underlining the necessity of doing so. To put this in perspective, around 40 billion tonnes of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere annually due to the use of fossil fuels. This will tip us over 1.5 degrees within the decade if not bought down dramatically. So, he is right, we need a better plan. But, this has to start with keeping as much oil as possible in the ground now. That's where it becomes less easy to think that he is being misunderstood. UAE and others are trying to make ‘CO2 hay’ while the sun shines (or at least before its blotted out by smoke). After all, they can afford those climate resistant luxury bunkers as we head beyond 1.5°C.

This is only set to get worse

Despite this grim backdrop, I've been reading Fire Weather by John Vaillant. This book (which has won prizes and garnered great reviews) is both fascinating and appalling. I thought I knew what we’re facing from the changing climate, but it seems that I – as well as those at COP and the governments they represent on our collective behalf – have little clue how bad things have become in 2023.

Fire Weather describes how severe wildfires, of previously impossible intensity, have now become the increasingly frequent equivalents of mobile volcanic eruptions because of what we’ve already done to the climate. We have already destabilised the climate envelope that has fostered us as a species. We have created conditions for fire tornadoes that stretch from the vaporising Earth’s surface into the stratosphere. These effects now pose a direct risk to us all as individuals.

What COP27 last year made very clear – as reiterated last week by King Charles opening COP28 – is that we can only fix the climate if we protect and restore nature. So, it is – in theory – heartening to see 9th December at COP28 was “Nature Day” given that natural ecosystems are preventing the worst of climate change now and that, if restored, they can play a huge role in both mitigating its effects as well as enabling better adaption.

What we're doing

As Kent Wildlife Trust Group (KWTG) – through the Trust, as the parent charity, delivering cutting-edge projects like Wilder Blean using bison as ecosystem engineers for climate resilience; Wilder Carbon, as the UK’s only mechanism for generating conservation-grade carbon units from restoration of native habitat; and through Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants, as a leader in Biodiversity Net Gain – we are on the front line of trying to get ‘nature-based solutions (NBS)’ implemented here in the UK. However, it often feels like trying to implement truly nature-positive solutions, and catalysing the proven, multiple co-benefits of NBS to genuinely scale nature protection and restoration NOW, is like wading through treacle, or worse, when it comes to governmental bodies.

But, what we have realised at KWTG is: scaled positive action does not need to wait on, or be lead by, governments. IF enough people and organisations with sufficient influence, ability, and different types of WILLINGNESS, such as major supermarkets, insurance companies, farmers, landlords, banks, land-owners, universities, engineers, foresters, water companies, road builders, shareholders, conservationists, fishermen, etc. come together under the banner of NATURE AMBITION, they can start delivering what’s needed.

The time for action is now

With UK government's slow response and the inaction of many international peers, we need to take massive NO REGRETS ACTION now. We cannot wait on government or civil servants or their accountants or investors working on their behalf. Many of these groups want to wait until they can guarantee making more profit from protecting and restoring nature, despite the existential threat of not doing so.

The revelation mid-year that many large financial companies have been advised that a ‘hothouse’ world could be good for their businesses1 is genuinely mind blowing once one has read Fire Weather. Yet these companies are amongst those with greatest influence on Downing Street and their equivalents across the world. This may explain some of the ongoing prevarication at COP28 and in Westminster. However, if enough of us get going with ACTION we will build the momentum that’s required to pull the policy makers along.

For example, there is no excuse for not protecting and planting street trees – which store carbon, and provide increasingly important services to local communities like potentially life-saving shade on 40+ degree days NOW, especially given that many of our high streets will otherwise become unusable for large parts of the year, and given how long it takes decent sized trees to grow.

There is no justification for postponing the enforcement of marine protected areas NOW, as doing so will enable the rebuilding of these ecosystems, enhancing blue carbon. Despite the difficulty in accurately quantifying the tonnage of carbon involved, we know it will be substantial. We also know coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. And, we know that rebuilt ecosystems will provide better local livelihoods for fishing communities.

Furthermore, there is no justification for creating new UK national parks that will only amount to more poorly-funded, ecologically decimated landscapes when what is need is scaled investment from carbon, biodiversity net gain, nutrient neutrality, etc. paying for restoration of large-scale, connected, biodiverse ecosystems “managed” by a full assemblage of wild animals.

IF enough sectors decide that this NATURE AMBITION is what’s needed NOW we MIGHT be able to stave off flooding and droughts and loss of pollinators whilst locking up carbon in a stable form, and saving human lives as the going inevitably get tougher for us all.

What's nature ambition?

NATURE AMBITION is the way to deliver UK and Global “30x30” biodiversity targets: 30% of land and sea turned over to nature to provide basic planetary life support. We cannot have paper parks on land and at sea that deliver nothing for society at a time when society is so challenged. Without these we immediately lose a vital string to our climate bow, and we merely postpone the collapse of human society.

We can be measured and account for these activities as we go; however, we can't wait for returns that exceed double digits. There will be no economy and no returns unless 30-50% of the planet is returned to nature.

Wilder Carbon has calculated how use of marginal/ uneconomic farmland amounting to about 13% of the UK will – as a minimum – deal with 17 years of UK aviation emissions. It would also take us off the bottom of the global chart of the global nature depleted-ness charts.

This action can be delivered NOW by those who know what needs to be done. Let’s inject some genuine AMBITION and CAN-DO into tackling the climate and nature crisis whilst we still have a chance.

Let’s forget about COP28 and progress with UK NATURE AMBITION.