COP29: High-integrity nature-based climate action - Perspectives from the Global South

ACHIEVE’s member Sebastian Reyes de la Lanza (Radboud University) presented initial results from the project at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, during an official side event titled “High-integrity nature-based climate action: Perspectives from the Global South”. The panel discussion focused on how to scale initiatives that integrate climate and biodiversity goals. ACHIEVE’s contribution centred around an initial integrity assessment of 267 Climate Cooperative Initiatives (CCIs) recognised by the UNFCCC. These multistakeholder, transnational partnerships are often crucial to bridging mitigation and adaptation gaps by mobilising action by non-state actors like subnational governments, companies, financial institutions, and civil society. However, these promises can only be realised if integrity concerns are addressed. Key insights from the assessment are: 

• While CCIs make numerous commitments, implementation often falls short. Moreover, accountability and transparency gaps persist, with many initiatives lacking monitoring frameworks and sufficient transparency for accountability regarding their targets, outputs, and finance. 
• CCIs primarily benefit Global North countries, underscoring the need to engage local stakeholders and create tangible benefits in vulnerable regions and developing nations. 
• Despite their potential to contribute to both biodiversity and climate goals, only some initiatives explicitly address potential synergies. To maximise their impact, initiatives should enhance co-benefits and minimise trade-offs with other sustainability concerns, such as biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, and ongoing economic and social inequalities.

Stakeholders and orchestrators of these initiatives, including UN-affiliated campaigns, should enhance transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness in CCIs. Additionally, they should promote synergies with outcomes from other intergovernmental processes, such as the biodiversity and desertification conventions.