Now officials and environmentalists say goals to limit global temperature rise cannot be met without nature's help. “It is time for nature to have a more prominent role in climate discussions and solutions," said Brian O’Donnell, director of the Campaign for Nature, which works with scientists, indigenous people and conservation groups. It noted scientific estimates that protecting the planet's ecosystems could provide at least a third of the reductions in emissions needed by 2030 to meet the aims of the Paris pact. Last month, they launched a "Green Gigaton Challenge" that aims to catalyze funding for 1 billion tons of high-quality emissions reductions a year by 2025 from forests in regions including the Amazon and Congo Basin. "Nature is not a substitute for emissions reductions in other areas, and in particular for getting off fossil fuels," he said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 12, 2020 10:41 UTC