BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 21. We have a chance in the next 24-48 hours to deliver significant results in the field of nature protection and lay the foundation for the transition from Baku to Belém, the Minister for the Environment of the UK Mary Creagh said at a Global Leaders Roundtable: Aligning Climate Action and Biodiversity Conservation for Achieving a Nature-positive Future and the Paris Agreement Goals, Trend reports.
“We must effectively use natural solutions such as forests, mangrove vegetation, and peatlands to combat climate change. Their protection and restoration are vital. The UK, with partners, is investing in the Legacy Landscapes Fund to achieve the global 30 by 30 target. We are integrating nature into land use, supporting sustainable agriculture and forestry. A 'first loss' approach is used to attract private capital, where the government reduces risk for investors. The Eco-Business Fund, supported by the UK and Germany, is implementing sustainable practices, protecting more than one million hectares of land, and attracting significant private investment,” she said.
According to her, the UK is also funding the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, restoring areas, supporting farmers, and reducing CO2 emissions.
“Technical assistance plays a key role in transferring knowledge and amplifying the impact of initiatives. In Madagascar, the Acre project is rehabilitating degraded land, supporting farmers, and preserving biodiversity through such investments. Public-private partnerships like these, tackling climate, nature, and poverty at the same time, are the way forward. The UK has demonstrated success with such approaches. The demand for funding to achieve such goals is huge, and there are many opportunities to make a difference with the right support. We have a chance in the next 24-48 hours to deliver strong conservation outcomes and lay the groundwork for the transition from Baku to Belém next year. Together, we must find the right balance between different approaches and frameworks to protect our only planet,” she added.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest-level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 Presidency has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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