The One Planet Summit, hosted by France on 11th January 2021 in conjunction with the United Nations and the World Bank, called for the mobilisation of political and business leaders from across the globe to act against the erosion of biodiversity.
Why was the Summit important?
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a dramatic reminder of the importance of nature for our daily lives and economies. Biodiversity represents the natural capital of the world, yet exploitation, pollution and climate change are bringing irreversible damage to ecosystems. Reversing this negative trend is a major challenge for the coming decade as we need to rethink our entire relationship with nature. It is a major social and economic challenge that will require a profound transformation of value chains, business models and consumption habits, as well as concerted action at all levels and by all actors. The One Planet Summit, in this regard, will be a milestone for the mobilization for nature in 2021.”
– United Nations Media Advisory
Who was there?
Speakers included HRH The Prince of Wales; Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany; Marco Lambertini, President of WWF International and Pascal Canfin, President of the European Parliament Commission on Environment.
Summit highlights:
If you would like to watch the recorded summit stream, you can do so here, or simply read our much shorter recap highlights below to get clued up on the main summit takeaways for 2021!
- New ‘High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People’ was launched, a 50-state coalition committed to protecting 30% of land and seas worldwide by 2030.
- UK PM Boris Johnson pledges up to £38 million to the Climate Compatible Growth programme, supporting developing countries to transition to green energy, and £3 billion in international climate funding.
- French President Emmanuel Macron announced $14 billion fast track funding for The Green Wall Initiative to regreen Sahel.
- The African Development Bank pledges to mobilise $6.5billion in support of The Green Wall Initiative
- Prince Charles discussed a new ‘Earth Charter’, Terra Carta, putting sustainability at the heart of the private sector.
- Angela Merkel presented the International Alliance Against Risks in Wildlife Trade and Wildlife Products, and the Legacy Landscapes Fund for financing protected areas.
- France is increasing their commitment to the International Fund for Agricultural Development by 50% and implores partners to follow.
- The European Commission is investing several hundred million euros over the next four year to research biodiversity, animal health and emerging diseases.
- UN Secretarty-General Antonio Gueterres states “The main goal of the United Nations is 2021 is to build a truly global coalition for carbon neatrality. Every country, city, and business must adopt an ambitious roadmap to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.”
Read more about the One Planet Summit here!