28 January 2025 | 10:00–11:00 ET | 16:00–17:00 CET
This webinar will explore how nature’s role in climate mitigation could close the financing gap for nature and where climate benefits can be included in existing biodiversity action. A moderated expert panel discussion will reflect on key outcomes from the three ‘COPs’ on biodiversity (CBD COP16), climate (COP29) and land (UNCCD 16) and discuss priorities for action in the year ahead.
It will explore the opportunities presented by connecting the dots between nature based solutions, policymakers and financial institutions through seeing water as a way to reduce emissions. As well as how to overcome barriers: for example not all climate mitigation measures can be accounted for, making the benefits unquantifiable and in turn somewhat invisible to policymakers and climate financing alike.
Nature-based solutions are critical to slow climate change: degradation and loss of peatlands alone result in greater emissions than the entire aviation sector.
Emissions categorized under agriculture, forests and land use (AFOLU) are estimated to produce 21% of total emissions, but receive less than 4% of mitigation finance. Bridging this gap could be crucial to meeting Target 19 of the Kumming Montreal Treaty, to ‘Mobilize $200 Billion per Year for Biodiversity From all Sources, Including $30 Billion Through International Finance’.
Target 19 even goes as far as specifying the need to optimize the co-benefits and synergies of finance targeting the biodiversity and climate crises. Land systems mitigation measures can be cost effective and generate substantial win-wins among water, biodiversity, social, and other sustainability goals.
Speakers
James Dalton, Head of Water and Wetlands, IUCN (moderator)
Iara Giocomini, Director of river basin rehabilitation, access to water and multiple use of water resources, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
Cate Lamb, Strategic Advisor, Ambition Loop & Freshwater Strategy Specialist, UNEP FI
Nureen Anisha, Oregon State University
Lucy Watkinson, Climate, Biodiversity and Water, Environment Directorate, OECD
Josh Weinberg, Senior Advisor, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation and Water Initiative for Net Zero.
About the Organizers
This webinar is being jointly organized by the Water Initiative for Net Zero (WINZ) and IUCN. To learn more about this event and the broader set of WINZ activities, visit the website here: https://www.water4netzero.cc