IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Climate change is one of the most serious challenges of this century. It is impacting people, animals, plants and natural environments – from the deepest ocean to the highest mountain.

The current rate of greenhouse gas emissions is likely to cause average world temperatures to rise above 2°C – a change which will significantly alter all life on earth. Climate change will seriously affect humans, our societies, our homes, our food and water supplies and our security. Rising sea levels, wildfires, floods, droughts and storms will become more common, and up to 30% of the planet’s plant and animal species could become extinct.

Healthy natural systems are critical for absorbing carbon and helping us adapt to climate change.

The world has a wide range of possible solutions that will help combat climate change. Protecting and better managing natural biodiversity is not only one of the most cost-effective; it is the one piece of the puzzle that we cannot afford not to do – if we are to reach a sustainable “post-carbon” world in the coming decades.
 

IUCN’s work puts biodiversity at the centre of climate change solutions. IUCN mobilizes research, policies and funding to achieve this by supporting the reduction of emissions, and helping take away greenhouse emissions currently in the atmosphere by stopping deforestation and degradation of natural areas.

IUCN supports and advises governments, the United Nations and companies to ensure that biodiversity is taken into account for all climate solutions, as well as being utilized as a solution itself.

IUCN’s field projects around the world improve the management of natural areas such as forests, rivers, deserts, mangroves, oceans and coral reefs to reduce emissions and help us adapt to climate change.