UNFCCC COP26 is taking place in the midst of a global pandemic, and escalating climate and biodiversity emergencies. The events of 2021 – catastrophic floods, heatwaves, and wildfires – remove any doubt that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity are destabilising established ways of life in developing and rich economies alike. Hardest hit by the impacts of the climate emergency are vulnerable communities around the world, although they contributed the least.
Heads of state, negotiators, experts, and campaigners are gathering in Glasgow for the most consequential climate conference since the adoption of the Paris Agreement. COP26 will focus on accelerating progress towards achieving the aims of the Paris Agreement. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, countries must ramp up ambition on mitigation, accelerate adaptation, increase international climate financing, and collaborate across governments, businesses, and civil society to finalise the Paris Agreement rulebook.
IUCN’s position paper for COP26
At Glasgow, IUCN will highlight, in particular, the critical contribution that conserving, restoring and sustainably managing the world's ecosystems can make in provide practical and effective nature-based solutions for both climate change mitigation and adaptation.
These build on the Marseille Manifesto and other resolutions agreed on by IUCN’s 1,500+ State, Government Agency, NGO and IPO Members at the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Marseille, France in September 2021.
See IUCN’s position paper for COP26 (also available in French and Spanish)
Events
IUCN is also strongly engaged in the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) to support the acceleration of global climate ambition and action on the ground. It has actively contributed to the thematic action tracks on land-use, water, resilience, and ocean and coastal zones.
As one of the lead partners of the Nature-Zone Pavilion at COP26, IUCN will also engage in a number of other side events and activities in relation to climate change and nature-based solutions, forests, ecosystem-based adaptation, water, indigenous peoples, and gender in this pavilion, and at other spaces and venues in Glasgow.
Climate change publications
IUCN engages on climate change from multiple perspectives, from assessing the risks that climate change poses, to advancing practical and inclusive nature-based solutions centred on the better conservation, management and restoration of the world’s ecosystems.
Our most recent publications for COP26 include:
- Gender and national climate planning: gender integration in the revised Nationally Determined Contributions
- Nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation
- Disclosing nature's potential: Corporate responses and the need for greater ambition
- Acting on ocean risk: Documenting economic, social and environmental impacts on coastal communities
- Regenerative Agriculture: An opportunity for businesses and society to restore degraded land in Africa
- Science-based ecosystem restoration for the 2020s and beyond
Browse our catalogue of climate change publications.
Issues briefs and information papers
IUCN Issues Briefs provide an accessible overview of the often complex issues related to nature conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation. See IUCN’s Issues Briefs on climate change.
News
IUCN statement to UN Climate Change Conference 2021
10.11.2021
During the 10 November plenary session of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (COP26), IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle delivered IUCN’s statement on the many ways nature can help address the climate crisis. Read the full...
Global launch of the Great Blue Wall
10.11.2021
Movement launched to conserve and restore marine and coastal biodiversity while unlocking the development of a regenerative sustainable blue economy At the UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow, Western Indian Ocean states and partners including International Union for...
Nature-based Solutions must be credible, measurable and inclusive - IUCN
10.11.2021
Glasgow, Scotland, UK, 10 November 2021 (IUCN) – While Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognised as a key part of the response to the climate crisis by governments, businesses and communities, it is crucial that these interventions are credible...
More IUCN news from COP26
Other resources
MAPMAKER TOOL
A visualisation tool for policy-makers on marine plankton diversity changes under different climate scenarios such as the ‘business-as-usual’ scenario and the ‘Meeting the Paris Agreement goals’ scenario. Find out more about plankton, climate and the MAPMAKER tool.
