Your vote is your voice

Biodiversity COP updates and why it’s so important to speak up on climate

GOOD NEWS

For the past two weeks, delegates from countries all over the world gathered in Cali, Colombia, for COP16. It’s not the climate COP: that begins next week, in Azerbaijan. This was the Biodiversity COP, where countries around the world focused on how to meet the goals of the “Paris Agreement” of biodiversity: the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

Two years ago, nations agreed to protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and ocean ecosystems by 2030; and the good news is that some countries are already surging ahead. This year, with support from The Nature Conservancy, Mongolia set aside 30 percent of its land for conservation and has funding commitments in place to pay for it through the Eternal Mongolia initiative.

“Climate change is here. Mongolians are already experiencing more frequent and severe climate-induced disasters like harsh winters, droughts and dust storms,” said Bat-Erdene Bat-Ulzii, Minister of Environment and Tourism. “With Eternal Mongolia, we see a proven tool to tackle the impacts of climate change. This will boost the green economy, support the growth of nature-based tourism—the fastest growing sector—and invest in sustainable livelihoods.” That’s at least four wins I count there!

NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS

Currently, only 18 percent of land and 8 percent of the ocean are protected, according to a joint report by the UN Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Much more needs to be done to meet the GBF target. Countries around the world “still need to protect an area of land equivalent to the combined size of Brazil and Australia, and an expanse of sea larger than the Indian Ocean,” the Guardian reported.

Also, just because land is being set aside doesn’t mean it is being managed well. Real protections need to be put into place and unfortunately, little progress has been made on funding these. At COP16, countries seemed ready to dig in, rather than negotiate. “What we are seeing at this COP is an unprecedented high level of distrust between developing and developed countries,” Oscar Soria, an activist with the Common Initiative, said.

Too many still see this as a choice between people or the planet: but nature isn’t optional. Nature can thrive without us, but we cannot survive without it. By failing to invest in the ecosystems that sustain us, we are putting our own future at risk.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Today, the United States is holding a presidential election that - no matter the result - will be extremely consequential in the fight against climate change. “Up and down the ballot, from president to city council, this U.S. election is a climate election and a real inflection point,” my guest curator Dr.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

wrote in September.

Leaders and decision-makers everywhere need to know two things: why climate change matters, and what climate solutions look like. And this matters.

On risks, traditionally conservative U.S. states like Texas, Louisiana and Florida are the most vulnerable to climate impacts. As hurricanes, heatwaves, and floods ramp up, more and more voters are recognizing that it’s their homes and their futures at stake.

On solutions, "nowhere is clean energy growing more than in counties that voted for Donald Trump in 2020," says Michael Thomas, who writes the

Cleanview Newsletter

. Crunching the numbers, he found these counties accounted for 66 percent of the utility-scale solar built since 2023. Why? Because green energy just makes economic sense.

Then, there's the Yale research showing that politicians consistently under-estimate how much their constituents care about climate change. Why? Because they don’t hear from them!

At every level, from city council to national decisions, our votes and voices can drive the action needed to secure a resilient future. We are all part of the climate solution, and by electing leaders who prioritize climate solutions, we’re choosing a future where both people and nature can thrive.’

Sun., Dec. 1st at 4pm ET - My talk with the American Conservation Film Festival - in person in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Wed., Dec. 4th at 7pm ET - Building Hope in a Warming World with Dickinson College - in Person at Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium (ATS) or view on live stream