H.E. Razan Al Mubarak is featured in Time Magazine's “5 Ideas for Rebuilding Trust in 2024”, where she called to rebuild trust in nature’s ability to help us achieve our climate goals.
Ms. Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, mentioned the importance of understanding biodiversity loss and climate change as two sides of the same coin, saying that if we don’t protect nature, our climate agenda will fail.
“Nature is the most effective carbon sink at our disposal today, capturing over 50% of emissions resulting from human activities. Through the conservation and restoration of soil, forests, and wetlands, nature-based solutions (NBS) implemented at scale can contribute 37% of climate-mitigation efforts required by the Paris Agreement by 2030.”
Ms. Al Mubarak, who is also UN High-Level Climate Champion for COP28, also talked about the importance of including Indigenous and local communities in decision-making around their land, which takes time and partnerships built on trust:
“Nature-based solutions are low-tech and affordable and could create many jobs, making them particularly suited to the developing world, where the impact of climate change and environmental degradation is felt most acutely. But they must be grounded in Indigenous rights, leadership, knowledge, and stewardship.”
Ms. Al Mubarak was featured along with Ilwad Elman, Chief Operating Officer of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre; Shoukei Matsumoto, Buddhist Monk and Founder of Interbeing; Françoise Moudouthe, CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund; and Nico Rosberg, Investor, entrepreneur, and 2016 Formula One World Champion.