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→B. Conservation and restoration
=== <big>B. Conservation and restoration</big> ===
=== <big>B. Conservation and restoration</big> ===
The issues of climate change, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and air and water pollution are interconnected. A key challenge of the next decades will be to recognize the interconnected nature of these issues, and make sure that actions to address one do not have unintended consequences on the other. For example, the replacing of native vegetation with monoculture crops for supplying bioenergy<ref name=":2" />, or the destruction of ecosystems to build renewable energy infrastructure
The issues of climate change, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and air and water pollution are interconnected. A key challenge of the next decades will be to recognize the interconnected nature of these issues, and make sure that actions to address one do not have unintended consequences on the other. For example, the replacing of native vegetation with monoculture crops for supplying bioenergy<ref name=":2" />, or the destruction of ecosystems to build renewable energy infrastructure<ref>[https://theconversation.com/renewable-energy-can-save-the-natural-world-but-if-were-not-careful-it-will-also-hurt-it-145166 Renewable energy can save the natural world – but if we’re not careful, it will also hurt it]</ref>.
Large-scale reforestation with native vegetation simultaneously addresses the issues of biodiversity loss, land degradation, and air and water pollution. Restoring ecosystems increases the capacity of forests, the ocean and soil to absorb carbon dioxide. Today, nature is only able to absorb around half of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, more or less equally split between land-based ecosystems and the ocean, with the remainder staying in the atmosphere and causing the Earth to warm<ref>[https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/34949/MPN_ESEN.pdf UNEP 2021, Making Peace with Nature, Executive Summary], Section B, Sections 2.3.2 in main report, and figure 2.8</ref>.
Forests currently absorb less than a quarter of the carbon emissions from fossil fuels and industry<ref>[https://www.un.org/esa/forests/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/UNFF14-BkgdStudy-SDG13-March2019.pdf Brack, Duncan, Forests and Climate Change]</ref>, with the potential to store much more.
Agriculture is a big driver of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. Changing food production systems so that they use agricultural methods that work with nature is critical for restoring natural ecosystems and building the capacities of soil to sequester carbon. Sustainable agricultural methods have the potential to help to eliminate hunger and malnutrition, and contribute to human health. Sustainable agriculture conserves and restores soils and ecosystems, improving local biodiversity, rather than degrading it<ref name=":42" />.
Small-scale farmers, particularly women farmers, are central to the challenge of achieving sustainable food security and need to be empowered through access to financing, education and training, and information and technology<ref name=":42" />.
Since the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC from the IPCC in 2018 and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment in 2019, global awareness of the climate and ecological crisis has risen considerably.
In 2021, the UN published the results of the Peoples’ Climate Vote<ref name=":110" />. With 1.2 million people from across the world providing their views, this is the largest survey of public opinion on climate change ever conducted, giving an insight into public opinions on climate solutions like renewable energy and nature conservation. In many of the participating countries, this was the first time that there had ever been such a large-scale attempt to obtain public opinion on the topic of climate change.
The Peoples’ Climate Vote found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of people in 50 countries believe that climate change is a global emergency. This is important information for governments in the run up to the Glasgow COP26, as it shows that the majority of people believe that it is vital to act on climate change now.
The survey also found a high level of support across the world for the conservation of forests and land, the implementation of renewable energy, climate friendly farming techniques and investment in green business.
In countries with a high level of deforestation – Brazil, Indonesia and Argentina – there was a majority support for conserving forests and land. In India, conserving forest and land was the third most popular climate policy in that country after increasing use of renewable energy and using climate-friendly farming techniques.
In countries where there are high carbon emissions from heating and electricity use – the US, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Japan, Poland and Russia – there was a majority support for renewable energy.
The results of the survey are significant as they show broad support for climate action across the world and amongst different age groups, education levels, nationalities and genders<ref name=":110" />.
As well as putting pressure on governments to act on climate change and exercising their voting and civic rights, individuals can facilitate a global shift towards a low carbon future through personal and civic action. When it comes to the role of citizens in reducing carbon emissions, people in some countries can have a higher impact than others, based on their CO2 emissions per person and their wider influence in society. Individuals in high-emitting countries can facilitate a global shift towards a low carbon future through changing their diets (for example eating less, or no, meat) and travel habits (for example flying or driving less), avoiding waste of food and resources, and reducing their consumption of water and energy. These actions can also help protect and conserve biodiversity. People can also promote change by raising awareness in their communities and by engaging in community and political action, using the most appropriate means available to the society in which they live<ref>[http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions Global Carbon Atlas, CO<sub>2</sub> emissions per person (2017)]</ref>.
== <big>Distribution and fairness</big> ==
Some countries and regions of the world started emitting a significant amount of CO2 centuries ago; others only started relatively recently. One of the reasons global annual emissions are now rising is because of the rapid growth of emerging economies, especially in Asia, the Middle East and in Central and South America. Almost all growth in emissions this century will come from developing countries<ref>[https://www.unep.org/emissions-gap-report-2020 UN Emissions Gap Report 2020]</ref>.
While most of the recent increase in carbon emissions can be traced to developing countries, it is important to recognise that rich countries such as the US and the EU member states have outsourced many of the more carbon-intensive and environmentally toxic parts of their production chain to countries such as China and India - while the rich world continues to consume high-carbon goods, it has come to rely on other parts of the world to manufacture them. For example, a large percentage of electronic goods that are used all over the world are made in China. This has the effect of displacing emissions to these countries, rather than reducing them<ref name=":102" />.
The difference in impact between those most responsible for causing climate change and those most vulnerable to its impacts are very striking. For example, the wealthiest 1 percent of the world’s population (approx. 75 million people) are responsible for twice the emissions of the poorest half of the world’s population (approx. 3,750 million people)<ref name=":102" />.
The industrialized nations and regions of the world that became rich from burning fossil fuels and colonial exploitation have the best resources to lead now. In the light of different national circumstances, the Paris Agreement calls for “rapid reductions” of emissions to be achieved “on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty”<ref>[https://unfoundation.org/our-common-agenda/climate-report/ United Nations Foundations, Climate Analytics and E3G. The Value of Climate Cooperation: Networked and Inclusive Multilateralism to Meet 1.5°C (Washington DC, 2021)]</ref>.
Today there is an increasing recognition for the need to adapt and adjust to the realities of climate change. Adaptation is specifically discussed in the Paris Agreement. What adaptation to climate change looks like will be different for different communities in different parts of the world. The challenges of adapting to climate change will be greatest for most developing countries given that many of the impacts are greatest in these countries and many lack the financing, infrastructure and technical capability needed to adapt.
This will ultimately have implications on the equality of opportunity for development as envisioned in the UN Sustainable Development Goals<ref>[https://sdgs.un.org/goals UN Sustainable Development Goals]</ref> and the UN Declaration on the Right to Development<ref>[https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/righttodevelopment.aspx UN Declaration on the Right to Development]</ref>.
The warmer the world becomes the greater each sector is affected. The greater the degradation of ecosystems, the more difficult it will be to adapt. Poor and marginalized communities – including those in wealthy countries – lack the basic capacities needed to adapt to current levels of warming<ref name=":102" />.
In many cases, adaptation will not be possible at all, for example in some places agriculture will no longer be possible due to higher temperatures and lack of water resources. Developing countries are, in general, most vulnerable due to the impacts being greater, coupled with a lack of financial, and technological infrastructure
== <big>Glossary</big> ==
== <big>Glossary</big> ==