This year will see the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) take place in Glasgow, Scotland in November; this annual two-week summits bring together all signatory parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to discuss action on climate change, known as a Conference of the Parties or COP. Also being held the month before is the COP 15, a meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in Kunming, China.
The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), whose professional code of best practice is followed by all our ecologists, have published a statement ahead of these two events later in the year.
The statement emphasises the importance of an integrated and coordinated approach to these two meetings in order to address the two climate and biodiversity crises, which are inextricably linked to each other.
The statement includes 9 recommendations for the meetings:
- The Biodiversity COP15 and Climate COP26 discussions and agreements must be integrated.
- There must be a focus on global cooperation.
- Nature-based Solutions must be central to addressing the climate emergency.
- Governments must regulate and implement legally-binding targets.
- Governments must support economic change.
- Relevant expertise and evidence must be at the centre of decision-making and delivery.
- Biodiversity professionals must be supported.
- The public must be engaged.
- Support must be provided to future generations
The full story and statement can be found at the following link:
