In what is shaping up to be a big year for planet-saving policy decisions across the globe, there are still some key events in store. Keeping an eye on the news coming out of environmental summits will not only inspire your own activism, it’s also a fascinating way to see the bigger picture in climate policy and spot where global leaders’ priorities lie.
The story so far
In recent months we’ve already seen several important developments nationally, not least the Inflation Reduction Act in the US, which will see $369 billion invested in the clean energy transition. Australia also passed the country’s first climate change legislation, meaning the government’s target to reach net zero by 2050 is now enshrined in law. Many countries have updated their Nationally Determined Contributions – meaning they’ve set themselves more ambitious carbon emissions reduction targets.
On the events front, this summer Portugal played host to the second UN Ocean Conference, where the 198 UN member states unanimously adopted the Lisbon Declaration – a pledge to take aim at marine pollution and back a variety of measures to support ocean conservation.
COP27, 6 – 18 November
The 27th Conference of the Parties on climate change (COP27), takes place this winter in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. In the year since the Glasgow edition of the conference, efforts to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions have faced headwinds from the escalating global energy crisis, and this will be a pivotal moment to hear how participating states plan to keep emissions goals on track.
UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), 7 – 19 December
Hosted in Montreal, the aim of this summit is to agree on a “global biodiversity framework”: a ten year plan to better protect the world’s 10 million animal and plant species. The prospect of a successful agreement is looking promising, but it’s one to watch closely, with highly impactful commitments hanging in the balance – from restrictions on the use of pesticides to the creation of more protected areas of land and sea.
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