7th GLF Investment Case Symposium

How can we raise $200 billion a year for biodiversity and climate?  From 21 October to 1 November 2024, global leaders gathered in Cali, Colombia, for the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16), tackling critical issues like ecosystem protection, climate action, and food security. The 7th GLF Investment Case Symposium, the largest sustainable finance event in the Global South, explored how to fund these efforts, including the role of emerging tech like Artificial Intelligence (AI) in finding innovative solutions.

About this session

Science is a key ingredient in ensuring the implementation of Target 19 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), specifically with evidence-based quality investments in nature-based solutions (NbS). While the relationship between science and business has been evolving, there is still a need to improve dialogue between the two fields to create synergies with substantive impact.

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Key messages

• Nature-Negative Finance: US$7 trillion annually, with US$5 trillion from private sources.
• Public Sector: Harmful subsidies at US$1.7 trillion, countering NbS.
• NbS Funding Gap: Only US$200 billion, far short of 2030 goals.
• Investment Potential: Strong returns in sustainable land management and restoration.
• Urgent Realignment: Redirect harmful finance to support NbS.
• Action Needed: Governments must shift policies; businesses must adopt sustainable practices.

The post The State of Finance for Nature 2023 appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

About GLF Africa 2024

On 17 September, thousands of participants gathered at ‘GLF Africa 2024: Greening the African Horizon’ in Nairobi, Kenya, and online for a global conference focused on forging a prosperous and sustainable future for Africa’s land- and seascapes, driven by local solutions.

About this session

Explore the crucial role of financing in scaling up nature-based solutions in Africa. This session highlights challenges and opportunities in securing investment for sustainable projects. Hear from finance experts on innovative models and from project leaders on navigating funding for landscapes, and engage in discussions about attracting investment, bridging financing gaps and evaluating project impact.

Whether you’re a financier or project developer, this is an opportunity for you to gain crucial insights into how we can collectively advance nature-positive initiatives in Africa.

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Adopting a landscape approach to investing in peatlands

This paper details the importance of strategically investing in the conservation and restoration of peatlands, illuminating the wide-ranging positive impacts of such investments for climate, nature, local communities and investors.

 

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Peatlands, covering only around 3-4% of the Earth’s land surface, hold up to one-third of the world’s soil carbon, twice as much as forests. Protecting this carbon is crucial for global climate goals. However, about 12% of peatlands are drained and degraded, contributing to 4% of annual human-induced emissions. The Global Peatlands Assessment (GPA) aims to understand peatlands’ status, location, and threats, providing a baseline for protection and management. It includes updated maps and highlights peatland management as a nature-based solution for biodiversity loss, climate resilience, and community livelihoods.

Key Messages

• Peatlands are rare ecosystems holding a significant portion of the world’s soil carbon, crucial for achieving global climate goals.
• Despite their importance, a considerable portion of peatlands has been degraded, contributing to human-induced emissions.
• The Global Peatlands Assessment aims to understand peatlands’ status, location, and threats, providing a baseline for protection and management.
• It emphasizes peatland management as a nature-based solution for biodiversity loss, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.
• Developed by the UNEP-led Global Peatlands Initiative with input from 226 experts worldwide, the GPA is the most comprehensive assessment of peatlands to date, guiding countries and decision-makers towards sustainable management and climate action.

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Given the unique opportunity for sustainable rice landscapes to deliver solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation, nature recovery, and improving farmer livelihoods while contributing to food and nutrition security, there is an urgent need to target finance and scale up actions in high-impact landscapes.

Key findings

The Mission paper provides information about the significant climate, nature and equity positive impact potentials, and emerging opportunities to scale private sector investments and collective action for sustainable rice. It also identifies the range of challenges that currently limits the acceleration of the rice sustainability transition at the scale needed, which include: customized support for rice farmers, transition costs and long-term agreements, sustainability target-setting guidance gaps, barriers to engaging in Voluntary Carbon Markets, and public and private sector investment gaps.

The objective of the RICE+ Hub for Regenerative Ricescapes Mission Paper is to serve as an action plan to facilitate pre-competitive private sector collective actions and investments across the entire rice value chain. These investments and collective actions will accelerate rice-related carbon, climate, nature and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) investments and project implementation to scale sustainable rice in priority countries and landscapes, starting with a focus on the major rice-producing regions of South and Southeast Asia.

To accelerate the transition of rice production systems and landscapes to be equitable, regenerative and resilient, the RICE+ hub will focus on and facilitate 3 priority Action Areas through mobilizing our members and partners:

1. Forging public-private investment alliances
2. Promoting high-integrity rice carbon and sustainability standards
3. Expanding knowledge exchange and promoting innovations by the private sector across the rice value chain

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) launched the Mission paper for the RICE+ hub for regenerative ricescapes, in collaboration with member companies and partners, under the auspices of the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative (SRLI).  Link to other WBCSD related work:

• Long, I. et al. (2023). Asia Rice Nature-Based Solutions Accelerator Baseline report. Climate Focus. 
• Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative (SRLI)
• SRLI Report: Scaling private sector investment in sustainable rice: Needs and opportunities

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About GLF Nairobi 2023: ‘A new Vision for Earth’

The GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference, held on October 11 and 12, convened global thought leaders to set the stage for COP28, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference. This pivotal event mobilised action on critical issues affecting humanity, biodiversity, and our planet.

The conference featured two focused days: Day 1 centered on “Africa’s Sovereign Solutions,” exploring pathways to a sustainable and prosperous future for the continent. Day 2, dedicated to climate, aimed to craft a “Survival Guide for a Planet in Crisis,” paving the way for a fairer world ahead of COP28.

GLF Nairobi brought together a diverse coalition of influential voices, ranging from scientists, activists, and Indigenous leaders to financiers, women, youth, policymakers, and private sector representatives. As a united front, we collectively championed change and passionately advocated for meaningful action in these pivotal times.

About this session

This interactive session delved deep into the challenges and opportunities to catalyze climate finance for nature-based solutions, especially in the Global South, featuring solutions from Luxembourg. It emphasized the importance of climate finance for nature-based solutions and discuss strategies to ensure that financing reaches local communities.

Rewatch to discover solutions from Luxembourg organizations and institutions on climate adaptation and mitigation financing, as well as form new collaborations for sustainable finance, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation ahead of the UNFCCC COP28 climate summit.

Explore the Luxembourg-GLF Platform

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About GLF Nairobi 2023: ‘A new Vision for Earth’

The GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference, held on October 11 and 12, convened global thought leaders to set the stage for COP28, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference. This pivotal event mobilised action on critical issues affecting humanity, biodiversity, and our planet.

The conference featured two focused days: Day 1 centered on “Africa’s Sovereign Solutions,” exploring pathways to a sustainable and prosperous future for the continent. Day 2, dedicated to climate, aimed to craft a “Survival Guide for a Planet in Crisis,” paving the way for a fairer world ahead of COP28.

GLF Nairobi brought together a diverse coalition of influential voices, ranging from scientists, activists, and Indigenous leaders to financiers, women, youth, policymakers, and private sector representatives. As a united front, we collectively championed change and passionately advocated for meaningful action in these pivotal times.

About Dragons Den Plenary

The Dragons Den Plenary  featured innovative nature-based solution companies presenting their initiatives to a panel of expert judges, focusing on environmental impact, financial viability, and scalability. The meeting stressed the existential threat of biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, advocating for a new vision for Earth prioritizing all life forms. Speakers called for radical measures, including habitat restoration and reducing carbon emissions, with an emphasis on reforming access to climate finance through multilateral banks.

The East African Development Bank was proposed as a partner for action, emphasizing the need for tangible steps over mere rhetoric. The meeting underlined the importance of collective action to address environmental challenges and transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources.

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About GLF Nairobi 2023: ‘A new Vision for Earth’

The GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference, held on October 11 and 12, convened global thought leaders to set the stage for COP28, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference. This pivotal event mobilised action on critical issues affecting humanity, biodiversity, and our planet.

The conference featured two focused days: Day 1 centered on “Africa’s Sovereign Solutions,” exploring pathways to a sustainable and prosperous future for the continent. Day 2, dedicated to climate, aimed to craft a “Survival Guide for a Planet in Crisis,” paving the way for a fairer world ahead of COP28.

GLF Nairobi brought together a diverse coalition of influential voices, ranging from scientists, activists, and Indigenous leaders to financiers, women, youth, policymakers, and private sector representatives. As a united front, we collectively championed change and passionately advocated for meaningful action in these pivotal times.

About this session

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