Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, recently co-authored an op-ed for Project Syndicate with Bogolo Joy Kenewendo. The article highlights the urgent need for transformative financial strategies to invest in Nature-Based Solutions and prevent the catastrophic breakdown of ecosystems.

Using the eThekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as an inspiring case, the piece emphasizes the benefits of nature-positive projects like river restoration and invasive species management, which not only improved environmental health but also created over 1,000 jobs. However, nature-based investments still receive only a fraction of the funding allocated to traditional climate solutions, despite their potential to drive impactful change:

“Nature-based investments, including sustainable agriculture, are already proving profitable and scalable, and they have the potential to create 395 million jobs by 2030. Yet, globally, nature-based solutions receive only 15% as much investment as traditional climate solutions, such as clean energy and low-carbon transport.”

To shift this dynamic, both public and private sectors must prioritize integrating nature into decision-making, fostering policies that reduce investment risks and ensure equitable access to climate finance. This is particularly critical for Indigenous communities and smallholder farmers, who play a vital role in conservation efforts but often lack access to the financial resources needed to implement solutions.

Ms. Al Mubarak and Ms. Kenewendo argue that the current political and financial climate provides a unique opportunity to develop a transformative investment agenda. World leaders must act now to harness the momentum for Nature-Based Solutions, recognizing that a thriving economy is inseparable from a thriving natural environment.

For more information, read the full op-ed via Project Syndicate’s.

In their recent editorial published in Project Syndicate, Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Joseph Nganga, Interim CEO of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, discuss the transformative power of clean cooking technologies. With the IEA’s Africa Clean Cooking Summit in Paris concluded in May 2024, their insights were particularly pertinent.

The narrative centers on Florence Auma Ode from Kenya, who significantly improved her family’s health and economic status by adopting a bioethanol stove. This change underscores the broader benefits of clean cooking solutions, which are crucial yet often underappreciated in global climate discussions.

The editorial emphasizes that while clean cooking can drastically reduce global carbon emissions and help combat deforestation, 2.4 billion people still rely on traditional cooking methods which are harmful on many different levels. This situation calls for a robust global response involving innovative financing and societal changes, especially to empower women and girls who bear the brunt of these challenges.

Ms. Al Mubarak and Mr Joseph Nganga also highlight successful initiatives like the School Meals Coalition in Kenya, which enhances clean cooking access while supporting local economies and reducing emissions. They urge global leaders to commit significant resources, proposing an annual investment of $8 billion to achieve universal clean cooking access by 2030.

This call to action aims to prioritize clean cooking in international climate finance strategies, underscoring its essential role in a comprehensive approach to climate change mitigation.