In the complex world of international diplomacy, the UN, through its periodic “Conferences of the Parties”
to its treaties (“COPs”) around climate and biodiversity, provides the only mechanism for countries to hold
each other, the corporate sector and civil society accountable that they are addressing the twin problems of
climate change and nature loss.
The Nature and Climate COPs are an unlikely couple, working to save the planet from becoming a sad, sunburnt
husk. Think of them as the overachieving parents of “nature-based solutions” (NBS)—solutions that not only
stabilise the planets atmosphere but also preserve the ecosystems that supply us all with the food, fibre, water
and air that we need to survive.
Climate COP, like the strict “do-your-homework” parent, zeroes in on emissions reductions, demanding that
countries shape up and shrink their carbon footprint. Biodiversity COP, the nurturing parent, focuses on
ecosystems and biodiversity, catalysing commitments to restore ecological harmony. Together, they promote
finance and regulatory approaches for forests, mangroves, and wetlands to keep acting as hardworking carbon
sponges.
The COPs are also responsible for ensuring NBS projects are the real deal. By setting standards, both COPs make
sure these projects arent just carbon-capture gimmicks but ecosystems that can support life and store carbon
long-term. The Biodiversity COP brings the science needed to understand the threats and the path forward to
conserve nature. The Climate COP annually updates the global carbon budget and details the pathways to
stability. And both COPs bring public and private finance into focus—quantifying the funding gap to achieve
planetary stability.
In October, the Biodiversity COP in Cali, Colombia created a fund to capture revenues from companies, like
pharmaceuticals, that use genetic data from nature for their products. China became a first-time funder of a
separate fund to support conservation projects in developing countries. Then in November the Climate COP in
Baku, Azerbaijan approved carbon market rules on the first day of the two week meeting, and drilled down on
what is called the New Collective Quantified Goal—a commitment from countries in the global north to fund
climate mitigation in the global south. By aligning climate finance with biodiversity needs, both COPs are giving
NBS the green light—and the green bills—to scale up.
At the end of the day, the UN conventions are constrained by the politics of the international order and remain
voluntary commitments. But that “voluntariness” doesnt mean that the actions pledged dont happen. It just
means that there is no way to enforce them through the legal systems. Enforcement becomes the obligation of all
of us—through the polls, our investments, our habits and our spending. The Climate and Biodiversity COPs are
natures ultimate co-parents, who are doing everything they can to raise a thriving, balanced planet—one carbonabsorbing ecosystem at a time.