Bionic Planet: Reversing Climate Change by Restoring Nature

A conversation with WRI Senior Fellow Frances Seymour, who says there's plenty of reason to believe the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use could deliver on its high ambition of ending and reversing deforestation -- not so much because of the declaration itself, but because of the constellation of world events that birthed it.

Frances is also co-author of the book "Why Forests? Why Now? The Science, Economics, and Politics of Tropical Forests and Climate Change."

From year-end climate talks in Glasgow:

Want to put your money where your mouth is by investing in companies that move us closer to a net-zero economy?

Matthias Krey of pureclimatestocks.com can help.

He's identified hundreds of companies that he call "pure climate stocks", meaning stocks of companies that make 100% of their revenue from products and services that will help get us to net-zero emissions.

On the ground at year-end climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, Maria Carvalho and Frédéric Gagnon-Lebrun of South Pole Climate Solutions dissect the intricacies of Article 6 of the Paris Climate Agreement.

They explain not only how it works, but how it fits into the net-zero movement and the larger effort to meet the climate challenge.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which is the United Nations specialized agency charged with promoting sustainable tourism, today unveiled the "Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism" at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) here.

The Declaration commits companies to cutting their emissions in half by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with all residual emissions being absorbed through ecological restoration by 2050 at the latest.

More than 300 stakeholders have signed the declaration, including the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents more than 300 companies responsible for more than 70 percent of global tourism.

"The commitment is to not only reduce the footprint by changing business as usual operations, but also offsetting…through blue carbon, for example," said UNWTO Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic in an interview with Ecosystem Marketplace.

"This is going to become, maybe, the new tourism attraction, because it's going to have a value that is more than just the beach."

She said that the UNWTO is in the process of launching a net- zero tourism fund, with contributions from tourists being matched by tour operators.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili conceded the gains that individual companies have made but stressed the need for a sector-wide effort involving government and international organizations as well.

"The Glasgow Declaration is a tool to help bridge the gap between good intentions and meaningful climate action," he said.

Urosevic described an ambitious strategy for using tourism to promote regeneration, especially of coral reefs, but stressed the need to hold the sector accountable.

That's the ambition, but we're not there yet and we need your help," she said.

"We need everyone's help," she added.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which is the United Nations specialized agency charged with promoting sustainable tourism, today unveiled the "Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism" at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) here.

The Declaration commits companies to cutting their emissions in half by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with all residual emissions being absorbed through ecological restoration by 2050 at the latest.

More than 300 stakeholders have signed the declaration, including the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents more than 300 companies responsible for more than 70 percent of global tourism.

"The commitment is to not only reduce the footprint by changing business as usual operations, but also offsetting…through blue carbon, for example," said UNWTO Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic in an interview with Ecosystem Marketplace.

"This is going to become, maybe, the new tourism attraction, because it's going to have a value that is more than just the beach."

She said that the UNWTO is in the process of launching a net- zero tourism fund, with contributions from tourists being matched by tour operators.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili conceded the gains that individual companies have made but stressed the need for a sector-wide effort involving government and international organizations as well.

"The Glasgow Declaration is a tool to help bridge the gap between good intentions and meaningful climate action," he said.

Urosevic described an ambitious strategy for using tourism to promote regeneration, especially of coral reefs, but stressed the need to hold the sector accountable.

That's the ambition, but we're not there yet and we need your help," she said.

"We need everyone's help," she added.

We need to slash greenhouse-gas emissions while supporting activities that remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, and carbon markets can both accelerate reductions and ramp up removals. Why, then, is the debate so contentious?

For answers, I turned to Eli-Mitchell Larson, a self-proclaimed "Carbon Removal Evangelist" who's helping to build up Carbon Removal Advocacy Europe (CRAE). We had a long and fruitful discussion that I think serves as a sort of reductions and removals 101.

Biologists, economists, and environmental activists often seem like members of warring tribes, but Gabriel Eickhoff, CEO of Lestari Capital, says they're more like estranged family members who just haven't started talking to each other yet.

In a wide-ranging discussion, we look at the legacy of the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, the structure of supply chains, and the interconnectedness of all things.

Biologists, economists, and environmental activists often seem like members of warring tribes, but Gabriel Eickhoff, CEO of Lestari Capital, says they're more like estranged family members who just haven't started talking to each other yet.

In a wide-ranging discussion, we look at the legacy of the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, the structure of supply chains, and the interconnectedness of all things.

Biologists, economists, and environmental activists often seem like members of warring tribes, but Gabriel Eickhoff, CEO of Lestari Capital, says they're more like estranged family members who just haven't started talking to each other yet.

In a wide-ranging discussion, we look at the legacy of the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, the structure of supply chains, and the interconnectedness of all things.

Guest: Eron Bloomgarden, Emergent Capital

Launched on Earth Day, the LEAF (Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance) Coalition aims to double the price of forest-carbon offsets and multiply the amount of money going into forest protection. Heres's how it works.

Featuring: Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg; US Climate Envoy John Kerry; UK's Environment Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith; US State Dept Climate Change and Land Sector Expert Chris Dragisic; Amazon Chief Scientist Jamey Mulligan.