Positive action is being taken to reverse climate and nature trends
It’s easy to be gloomy about the state of nature and the climate. But positive action is being taken to reverse these trends and we should acknowledge and celebrate these successes when they occur, as they are essential (and renewable) fuel to drive the ongoing mission to make the world a sustainable place.
The Nature Positive team has reflected on 2023, seeking some big wins for sustainability, and here are our 12 reasons for climate and nature optimism.
Reason 1: The markets waking up to the Science Based Targets initiative
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a genuine game-changer and is driving decarbonisation action through the global value chain. Science-based targets provide companies with a clearly defined path to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals – limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. The number of signatories to the SBTi is higher than ever, with a 2023 report showing more companies and financial institutions set science-based targets in 2022 than in the previous seven years combined!
Reason 2: Dominica establishes the first ever sperm whale reserve
The first ever sperm whale reserve has been established in waters off Dominica in the Caribbean. Covering nearly 300 square miles, the protected area is used as key nursing and feeding grounds by endangered sperm whales. It is important for this species, but whales also have a beneficial impact on the ocean’s ability to capture carbon. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has calculated that if whale populations were to increase to pre-whaling numbers, the effect on carbon sequestration would be equivalent to four additional Amazon rainforests.
Reason 3: Publication of the final recommendation of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
In late 2023, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) published its final recommendations, providing an important framework and guidance for companies in their corporate reporting. This business-led initiative has the potential to fundamentally change how businesses and financial institutions think, act and report on nature, and divert financial flows away from activities that damage nature to those that benefit or restore it. Learn more about why businesses should get ready for TNFD and corporate biodiversity reporting in our recent article.
Reason 4: Slowdown in forest destruction in the Amazon basin
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest fell to a five-year low. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research announced that between August 2022 and July 2023, there has been a 22.3% reduction compared with the previous year. This is an encouraging sign, coming because of increased political attention and conservation efforts following the change in leadership in Brazil.
Reason 5: Inspiring restoration success in Redonda Island
An inspiring story of ecosystem restoration on a tiny uninhabited Caribbean Island. In September 2023, the government of Antigua and Barbuda announced the establishment of the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, including 30,000 hectares of the surrounding seas. The restoration of this island began in 2016 with the removal of invasive rats and goats, and the island has sprung back to life from an almost barren rock. Flora and fauna began to recover at an astonishing rate, with nesting seabirds returning quickly and the population of the critically endangered and endemic Redonda ground dragon soaring thirteen-fold.
Reason 6: The EU adopts new rules for a deforestation-free future
The pioneering EU Deforestation Regulation came into force in June 2023. This legislation is designed to reduce deforestation and forest degradation caused by the supply chains of EU companies. This legislation requires companies trading in cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya and wood and other commodities to take measures to ensure they have not come from recently deforested land or contributed to the degradation of forests.
Reason 7: SPARKS BRISTOL – a department store with a difference
On the doorstep of many of our team in Bristol and co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace, SPARKS has reinvented a department store with a sustainability theme throughout. From fashion and food to nature and energy, each department is designed to support people in Bristol to act on climate, biodiversity, equality and wellbeing – the themes of the Sustainable Development Goals. By putting sustainable solutions right on the high street, it is helping to make sustainability part of a normal shopping experience – and could be transformative in what it sparks off.
Reason 8: The adoption of the United Nations High Seas Treaty
In June 2023, the United Nations adopted a landmark legally binding marine biodiversity agreement, which is an exciting and positive step towards protecting global oceans. The treaty sets out to protect the world’s oceans that lie outside of national boundaries: protecting two-thirds of the ocean and preserving its biodiversity through marine conservation and sustainable fishing by 2030.
Reason 9: The reach of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU CSRD) came into effect in 2023. As a result, all listed EU companies (except micro-enterprises) and certain companies based outside the EU will be required to report on the social and environmental risks they face and on how their activities impact people and the environment. The CSRD is expected to require 50,000 companies (including around 10,000 companies from outside the EU) to provide sustainability disclosures, so is a real gear shift in European corporate reporting.
Reason 10: The potential for biodiversity net gain in the UK to contribute to nature recovery
In September 2023, the UK government announced that developers will be required to deliver 10% net gain in biodiversity from January 2024 onwards. Introduced in the Environment Act 2021, this world-leading initiative will require new housing, commercial and infrastructure developments to deliver a net-positive effect for local biodiversity by avoiding ecosystem degradation and creating new habitats and green spaces. For more information, read this article by RSK Wilding.
Reason 11: A code of practice from the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative
Offsets have an important place among the tools to help prevent the worst of climate change. The Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative (VCMI) Claims Code of Practice is a move toward improving robustness and trust in the carbon offset market. The code of practice sets out a recommended path for how to use offsets as part of a broader decarbonisation drive, not just as an end in themselves. Read more about the need to reduce and offset, not reduce or offset here.
Reason 12: Businesses are taking action to contribute to nature recovery
In February 2023, Aviva announced as part of its net zero by 2040 ambition, a £38 million donation to restore lost temperate rainforests in the UK. This rare and biodiverse native habitat now covers less than 1% of the UK. This scheme will be delivered in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts and in addition to significant carbon removal, the restored rainforests will provide a positive contribution to the nature and biodiversity crisis.
Nature Positive can help companies and financial institutions create their own reasons for climate and nature optimism, using our bespoke consultancy services, so contact us to find out how we can support you.
Photo by Venti Views on Unsplash