IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

With climate legislation lagging, are nature-based solutions a fix?

07 September 2012 | News story

The first in the series of highly anticipated World Leaders Dialogues involving a panel of prominent figures from both business and conservation saw a thoughtful discussion about the role that nature-based solutions can play in tackling climate change.

Topics of finding scalable conservation initiatives, reducing deforestation, establishing a price on carbon and effectively financing biodiversity efforts were all touched on during a lively discussion. The panel fielded questions from the audience on issues of business’ role in conservation, specific initiatives in Central Africa and why successful grassroots environmental solutions don’t always catch on globally.

The topic of the private sector’s role in the conservation discussion was represented by Ruksana Mirza, Head of Sustainable Development, HOLCIM and Marvin Odum, President of Shell Oil Company, Director Upstream Americas of Royal Dutch Shell. Both panelists shared examples from their own companies’ efforts to reduce environmental impact while still staying profitable. Odum described the USD 40 per ton of carbon “tax” that Shell Oil employees must factor into any potential projects while Mirza described HOLCIM’s work with IUCN to measure the effectiveness of its processes from an environmental perspective.

The panel was rounded off by Henri Djombo, Minister of Sustainable Development, Forestry Economy and the Environment, Republic of Congo; Bharrat Jagdeo, Former President of Guyana; and Dr. Maan-ee Lee, Former Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea, and Chairman of the Lifestyle, Health and Sustainability Forum.