People Drive Change

Fast forward to 2021 and I am now a biodiversity consultant working for Metabolic. In this role I recently presented solutions and defined accountabilities at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow with Nature4Climate, a coalition of nature-related organizations. This was my first experience at a UN Conference, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Paris Agreement, which was agreed upon at COP21, was truly a grassroots-led effort. It was clear from my time spent in Glasgow at COP26 that what is happening on the ground is likely more significant than the announcements made on the podiums. The discussions I saw between business leaders, environmental ministers, financers, indigenous leaders, and youth could not be replicated anywhere else. It is the ambition of each individual that drives forward change, solutions, and plans for accountability in the future. I found this during my time at COP26, but I’ve also seen this working in sustainability in general. It is dedicated people who are actually paving the way for transformative change and innovative solutions.

Transformative Solutions Need Practical Tools

At COP26, with Nature4Climate, we presented a policy tracker. We had compiled policies that were related to utilizing nature as a climate solution, either to mitigate the effects of climate change or to sequester carbon. Utilizing nature as a climate solution is known as a Nature-based Solution (NbS). The material and subsequent solutions were part of a three-year project tracking policies that enable NbS. This project represents the world’s largest global database of public policies that support nature, and will help governments and investors target billions of dollars to tackle the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis more effectively. The NbS Policy Tracker is the first to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify legislation and investment plans. We hope it won’t be the last.

Not only are these individual networks and task forces incredible feats of collaboration and action, but seeing them work together gives me incredible hope.

Using machine search allowed us to quickly scan millions of web pages to scrape any mention of nature-based solutions and policy. We refined outputs of the search, offered precise algorithms, and worked closely with Nature4Climate and our AI research partner, Arboretica, to develop the code and the database. We were also able to automate an assessment of the policies that we had compiled—for example, are the policies developed inclusively, do they consider Indigenous community needs, and do they have budgets?

Accountability in Leadership

The NbS Policy Tracker can help hold leaders accountable at a time when many promises are being made yet action is universally lacking. Projects such as this tracker offer solutions for accountability and shine light on policies that are or are not working, setting a precedent for the action necessary for transformative change. Though the Tracker is in its first iteration and is not yet comprehensive, we are already seeing the implementation of solutions that address the biodiversity and climate crises. For example, Vanuatu has added legislation that measures success based on the number of schools teaching traditional Indigenous knowledge. The Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy is implementing climate-smart agriculture by supporting Nature-based Solutions and farmers’ livelihoods. The National Development Plan of Colombia (“Pacto por Colombia, Pacto por la equidad”) aims to boost equality, entrepreneurship, and legal means for preventing deforestation.

Andrea Meza, Costa Rica’s environmental minister, has led the country to be one of the first to craft a national decarbonization plan to reach net-zero emissions and is showing the world how a small, developing country can overcome challenges and rebuild its economy to protect the environment.

Solutions That Are Paving the Way

Costa Rica is a prime example of where Nature-based Solutions are working and where strong leadership has shown strong results. Andrea Meza, Costa Rica’s environmental minister, has led the country to become one of the first to craft a national decarbonization plan to reach net-zero emissions and is showing the world how a small, developing country can overcome challenges and rebuild its economy to protect the environment. This leadership sets the precedent that if Costa Rica can do it, so can wealthier countries.

Another example of leadership showcased at COP26 was the collaborative effort between Credit Suisse, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Government of Belize. These entities came together to bundle Belize’s debt and exchange it for a blue bond, which allocates funds toward debt sustainability and marine conservation for Belize. Efforts such as this partnership show how creative and collaborative solutions can have a transformative impact.

As we rapidly approach a world of 1.5°C warming, international networks also show leadership in co-developing solutions to effect transformative change. The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), the Task Force for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition assign accountability to companies and governments whilst providing creative, collaborative solutions to address climate change and biodiversity decline.

The Power of Collaboration

Coming away from the tracker project and my experience at COP26, I am reaffirmed by the power of conversation and collaboration, and what can achieved when solutions combine a top-down and bottom-up approach. Top-down solutions are typically not the most successful, and, as we outlined in our NbS Policy Tracker, getting as many stakeholders to the table as possible to collaborate on policies is a key to success. At COP26 it was great to see that there are strong, international networks working toward accountability for solutions. Not only are these individual networks and task forces incredible feats of collaboration and action, but seeing them work together gives me incredible hope.

I want to drive positivity and ambition for solutions. I want to push myself and others to be creative in how we imagine a better future. I aspire to foster a sense of hope in the face of great sorrow.

Working Together to Envision a Future That Makes Sense

Working in artificial silos will only set us back. Getting creative with problem solving is not always easy, but there is no other way to achieve transformation. For example, the biodiversity and climate crises are inextricably interconnected. These crises cannot be solved independently. Those who can truly make inspiring change examine the root causes, include diverse stakeholders, and together start by visioning the future they’d like to see. The visioning part, from my experience, can seem cheesy. But I find that, when I have a clear vision of a better future and keep that in my mind’s eye, I can facilitate much more open and productive conversations and workshops. My goal is not to push my vision on others, but rather to use the fact that I have a positive vision to allow me to have confidence in the exercise. Getting everyone to open up about what they want to see and what motivates them to be a changemaker allows for a more productive discussion. For example, many business leaders may not consider that stronger human rights laws and accountability systems are key to preventing deforestation. A leader who truly believes that there is a resolution, and that it may come from somewhere unexpected, is able to facilitate these discussions better than someone who expects a particular outcome.

Coming together to ensure a livable planet is one of the most ambitious things humans have ever come together to try to do—so I will remain stubbornly optimistic that we can make it happen.

The Future I Want Starts With My Own Attitude

I want to drive positivity and ambition for solutions. I want to push myself and others to be creative in how we imagine a better future. I aspire to foster a sense of hope in the face of great sorrow. The truth is that even if we do reach a 1.5°C world, there is already damage and loss. There are already sacred Indigenous lands that have been pillaged for commodities. But I want to remain optimistic and spread the word that transformative change requires co-development. If we have only rich, white decision makers at a table, we will not be creative enough in our solutions. I’d like to see grassroots efforts respected and well funded. I’d like to see young leaders feel inspired to continue to pursue these efforts.

Besides proselytizing transformative change and a solution-oriented attitude toward the future, what can I personally do? I plan on remaining committed to helping develop ambitious metrics for assessing impacts on nature. I can continue to deploy tech to monitor and measure the effectiveness of Nature-based Solutions policies. I will continue to push to have many voices contributing to accountability metrics. I know that without ambitious but straightforward metrics, no one can be held accountable or take credit for the solutions they are implementing.

Coming together to ensure a livable planet is one of the most ambitious things humans have ever come together to try to do—so I will remain stubbornly optimistic that we can make it happen. I invite you to join the team.