N4C COP29 Daily Brief: Nearly half of nature's current pledges show no evidence of progress since COP28

Some have been hoping the G20 Summit will deliver a finance signal that could help break through blockages in the negotiations at COP remains an open question. To start the summit the G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration may have done just that with the inclusion of the G20's Bioeconomy Principles and Brazil's Tropical Forest Finance Facility. With concerns that shifting political sentiments among some G20 members that a joint declaration wouldn't emerge, it is positive to see that consensus is still possible and it includes incorporating action for nature.

In Baku, the Presidency yesterday outlined the "mode of work" for the week, which includes three levels: ministerial engagement on political issues; continued technical work; and Presidency consultations. The gap between Parties on major aspects of a potential COP29 package remains large. There is optimism that the finance text will send a good signal back to COP. However, language on mitigation looks weaker, with references to fossil fuel transition potentially missing, and concerns that the text might not fully endorse the Global Stocktake.

The news on nature at COP29 is barely more positive. Media analysis shows that Week 1 at COP29 saw less than half the total of number of articles written about nature compared to Week 1 at COP28 . Fatigue from COP16, attention on G20 and other geopolitics tensions, and simply less nature news have all contributed to this trend, but there’s also a sense that the mired negotiations are also dampening interest. Our latest update to the N4C Commitment Tracker has also found the highest number of commitments with little or no evidence of progress over the past year since the series began, despite a number of encouraging bright spots. 

Today is Food, Agriculture and Water Day with a range of high-level events that we will cover in tomorrow's issue. 

Lucy Almond

Chair, Nature4Climate

Nature @ COP Midpoint Presser 

Yesterday, Nature4Climate hosted a press conference recapping the state of nature at the COP negotiations, touching on carbon markets, finance, and Indigenous Peoples.

At the press conference, speakers noted:

🗨️ John Verdieck, Head of International Climate Policy, The Nature Conservancy , on Article 6 and carbon markets: "We need to establish clear rules for Article 6 and how countries trade CO2. Having a standard approach is essential for improving transparency and predictability in carbon markets. Right now it's like everyone showing up with a different kind of EV charger - we need one universal public charging port so that everyone is operating on the same basis."

🗨️ Lina Barrera, SVP of Global Policy & Government Affairs, Conservation International , on the need for finance for climate solutions: “The bottom line is that we know what the solutions to climate are, and implementing them requires an economic transformation that puts nature at its centre. All of that requires more climate finance. We’re in a time of diplomatic turbulence, but leaders need to remain assertive and shift away from activities that harm nature and towards activities that are sustainable.”

🗨️ Juan Carlos Jintiach, Executive Secretary, Global Alliance of Territorial Communities on the importance of land tenure for Indigenous Peoples: “As we look to COP30, we need to move towards urgent actions for land tenure rights, the only way to make all of this effective. If we want to keep 1.5°C within reach or to connect climate and biodiversity, all of it needs Indigenous Peoples and local communities with strong tenure rights. This is how we will make COP29—and the trillions of dollars being allocated to address the climate crisis—effective.”

🗨️ Buba Balkisou, National Vice Coordinator of REPALEAC in Cameroon, on the importance of recognising Indigenous land rights: “As Indigenous Peoples, our lands are our lives. Without our lands we cannot be proud of our identity. All our resources, everything that we need, we get from our lands. So we need our lands to be recognised and respected.”

From Cali to Baku

Yesterday, Nature4Climate led an event at the We Mean Business Coalition Pavilion bringing together businesses and governments to try and answer the age old question of how to take the ambitions for nature action in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and turn them into investable opportunities. These discussions began in earnest at COP16 in Cali, Colombia where significant progress on nature action was made, and may be more critical at moments like these where nature is not guaranteed to be central to the negotiations. Proving nature is an attractive economic opportunity while serving as a foundation for human health and climate goals is a clear way to ensure nature stays front of mind.

Panellists that joined the session from Suzano, Bank of America and Natura showcased examples of partnerships delivering high-integrity NbS, exploring the conditions needed to mobilize private capital and better alignment between public policies and business needs.

🗨️ Marina Negrisoli, Director of Sustainability at Suzano: "When you look at Brazil's total emissions, almost half come from deforestation and land conversion. If we don't integrate the biodiversity and climate agendas, we won't address the main problem. We need to focus on subnational landscape management to tackle both climate and biodiversity issues and we need regulations that incentivize the private sector to engage in this agenda. Without their involvement, we won't achieve the necessary speed or scale. The private sector's strength is crucial for creating the impact needed to be net zero and nature positive."

🗨️ Abyd Karmali OBE OBE, Managing Director of Environmental & Social Business Advisory at Bank of America: "We need better synergy between NBSAP and NDCs, with clear signals for investable opportunities to support companies and financial institutions' transition plans. Clarity on sector transition pathways in NDCs is also essential, not just at the country level. Nature-based solutions can be applied across various sectors, including forestry, marine, and mining. Specific policy instruments in NDCs will facilitate investment."

N4C Commitment Tracker Update

In the latest round of updates to the Nature4Climate Commitment Tracker, we found there has been virtually no change since last year. Beyond the reduced number of new joint commitments announced, the update also reveals that 48% of the commitments in the database are stagnant, showing little or no evidence of progress. Of these, 14% have no published evidence of any action or progress in 2024, marking the highest number of paralyzed commitments since the series began.

The Nature4Climate coalition will conduct a new analysis post-COP29, tracking new possible joint commitments and the progress made in the database during the Baku Conference. Please let us know if we've missed anything by writing to comms@climateadvisers.org

🟢 LEARN MORE

G20 could reduce emissions equal to India’s carbon footprint

Yesterday, as the G20 in Brazil kicked off, Nature4Climate released new analysis revealing the 20 world’s largest economies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,370 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (MtCO2e) – comparable to India’s total emissions in 2023 – by prioritising nature in their climate strategy plans. The findings, analysed from Nature4Climate’s naturebase platform demonstrate the potential for natural climate solutions (NCS) – such as climate-smart forestry and coastal wetland restoration – to mitigate climate change and deliver additional benefits to biodiversity, ecosystem and human well-being. 

🟢 READ MORE

The Amazon is not just Brazil's to protect. The G20 must step up

Context, Carlos Nobre, 18 November

Ahead of his meeting with President Biden, Carlos A. Nobre, a leading researcher on forests and climate change, published an opinion piece today stating that forest protection isn't Brazil's burden alone. Over half of Earth's forests are in just five countries, four of which are G20 members. As ministers tackle funding deadlocks in Baku, G20 nations can step up to ensure finance reaches Indigenous communities directly, enabling them to mitigate and adapt to the climate and nature crisis.

>>> Read the full article here

📰 MORE FEATURED NEWS

Climate Home News shares an interview with Mikko Ollikainen, the head of the Adaptation Fund, who highlights the discrepancy between contributor governments' discussion of the importance of adaptation financing and the lack of new pledges to the Adaptation Fund or other adaptation funds. The fund, which has been at the cutting edge of efforts to build resilience to extreme weather and rising seas for the last 15 years, has only secured contributions of around $61 million from donor countries, against its annual goal of $300 million.

Reuters reports that G20 talks in Rio reached a fragile consensus on climate finance. Negotiators agreed to a text mentioning developing nations' voluntary contributions to climate finance, stopping short of calling them obligations.

New York Times covers President Biden's visit to Brazil, during which he pledged new financial help to restore land, plant native tree species, support biodiversity efforts, and increase fertilizer efficiency programs. Although he acknowledged potential threats to this goal under the incoming Trump administration, he expressed confidence that his successor would not be able to stop efforts to protect the climate.  

Inside Climate News reports that former high-level UNFCCC officials, leading scientists, and other climate experts published a letter saying that the annual COP “cannot deliver change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity."

Reuters carries commentary calling for a stronger and more effectively structured COP to bridge the gap between pledges and action to ensure that commitments are delivered at speed and scale.

The Guardian covers comments from Simon Stiell, the UN’s climate chief,  who told the conference to "cut the theatrics and get down to the real business this week.” 

Carbon Pulse covers a provision in the latest text on climate finance at COP29 that encourages scaling voluntary carbon markets. Green groups and some developing countries are pushing against this due to integrity concerns.

🎥 Forests and Food: Sustainable Solutions for Climate and Communities

Gertrude Kabusimbi Kenyangi (Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment), Esther Benzuela (Association for Sustainable Rural), Tom Skirrow ( Tree Aid ), Jocelyn King (First Australians Capital) and Sharon L. ( Forest Stewardship Council) explore the vital relationship between forests and food in this short COP29 Nature’s Newsroom film. Rising global populations and agricultural demands are increasing pressure on forests, leading to deforestation and its devastating impacts on communities.

The film challenges the false dichotomy of “trees or food” by highlighting agroforestry and indigenous farming practices as nature-based solutions that enhance soil health, improve food security, and combat climate change. Discover why integrating trees into farming systems and valuing indigenous voices is key to a sustainable, nature-positive future.

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