Nature-Based Solutions and Intersectional Gender at COP28

Dec 28, 2023 | Marisa O. Ensor

Climate change is having devastating effects on societies and ecosystems. Nature-based solutions can and should play a significant role in mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis. So should women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, and members of other traditionally marginalized groups who, everywhere across the globe, are already playing key roles in climate change action, including nature conservation, renewable energy, and disaster risk reduction. The recently concluded United Nations climate change summit, COP28, reflected a growing recognition of the vital importance of integrating both gender and biodiversity as key components of sustainable climate change solutions.

Nature at COP28

COP28, short for the 28^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The summit concluded on December 13, 2023 – a day later than originally scheduled – after two intensive weeks of negotiations, complemented by thousands of climate-related events that took place throughout Dubai. Some of the main topics discussed at COP28 included (1) the significance of the Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace calling, for the first time in the history of the COP, for bolder collective action for climate resilience in conflict-affected contexts; (2) the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund; (3) the special circumstances facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS); (4) the results from the first Global Stocktake; (5) the need for a just transition to renewable energy; and (6) the meaningful inclusion of women and youth in climate negotiations. I discussed some of these issues elsewhere. In this spotlight, I focus on the role of nature-based solutions and intersectional gender considerations.

The theme of nature and biodiversity was high on the agenda throughout the summit, including in negotiation around the Global Stocktake, adaptation, mitigation, and the just transition to renewable energy. December 9^th marked COP28’s Nature, Land Use and Ocean Day. Key outcomes of the day comprised commitments to finance natural climate solutions. Examples include Costa Rica and Ghana agreeing to supply forest carbon credits worth over $60 million (backed by the governments of the US, the UK, and Norway), the Asian Development Bank and others launching The Nature Finance Hub, and Norway pledging $100 million to support Indonesia in reducing deforestation. A joint COP28 statement on nature, climate and people underscored that there is no path to the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius “without urgently addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation together in a coherent, synergetic and holistic manner, in accordance with the best available science.” 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released a position paper for COP28 highlighting that “combating the climate crisis effectively demands simultaneously addressing the biodiversity loss crisis in an integrated and synergistic manner.” Nature-based solutions (NBS) must be part of any sustainable climate change action. NBS are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature. Underpinned by benefits that flow from healthy ecosystems, NBS target major global challenges. These include disaster risk reduction, food and water security, biodiversity loss, and human health, in addition to climate change. They are also critical to sustainable economic development. As the World Bank recent noted, estimates suggest that nature-based solutions can provide 37% of the mitigation needed until 2030 to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement. Research also shows that the success of NBS hinges on the meaningful participation of critical stakeholders, including women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and members of other traditionally marginalized groups.

Intersectional Gender Matters at COP28

COP28 highlighted the crucial role of Indigenous Peoples in combating climate change. As stewards of 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity, their knowledge and leadership are likely to prove indispensable as we advance from COP28 toward COP30 (which Brazil will host in the Amazon in 2025) and beyond. Indigenous leaders and their representatives spoke at key events throughout the summit, calling for the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and the preservation of Indigenous rights are being proposed in almost every agenda item.

Women and girls from Indigenous communities suffer an elevated burden of gender inequality and discrimination due to the intersectionality of systemic vulnerabilities they face.  Elevating Indigenous women's traditional practices and promoting their participation in decision-making bodies related to natural resource management, must thus be key components of global and local climate action. As I highlighted in a previous spotlight, “the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) they preserve encompasses Indigenous worldviews, reflects Indigenous People’s intimate relationship with their environment, and offers nature-based solutions to today’s concurrent ‘polycrises.’”

The Gender-Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action Partnership announced at COP28 included a series of commitments to support women’s economic empowerment. Everywhere across the globe, women are already playing key roles in climate change action, including renewable energy, nature conservation, and disaster risk reduction. So are youths. A Global Youth Statement synthesizing the collective climate policy demands and proposals of young people was provided to the UNFCCC and COP28 Presidency by YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of the UNFCCC.  Youth4Nature (Y4N), an international “by-youth, for-youth” non-profit organization, brought a global youth delegation to Dubai.YFN seeks to support youth “as leaders on system-wide solutions for the nature and climate crises that are rooted in traditional & scientific knowledge and grounded in intergenerational justice.”

A Call to Action

The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released in March of 2023, brought into sharp focus the irreversible losses and damages already accruing from climate change. It also underscored the cascading and compounding risks of exceeding the 1.5°C warming level – with the most vulnerable people and ecosystems suffering the worst impacts. Moreover, top scientists warned that human behavior is driving the sixth mass extinction of life on Earth, with 1 million species at risk of disappearing. This, in turn, is degrading the planet’s ability to support human life and wellbeing, further hindering our resilience to climate change. COP28 marked a turning point in terms of a wider acceptance of the need to integrate nature into climate strategies. As a delegation of young leaders urged, this is an important but insufficient step – we must urgently move beyond speeches and deliver concrete action to safeguard the planet. 

The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions offer 8 specific criteria and 28 indicators to enable the coherent design, execution, and evaluation of nature-based solutions. IUCN also highlights the importance of ensuring greater operational synergies across the key international policy processes that govern the world’s terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, in particular, the three Rio Conventions on Desertification, Biodiversity, and Climate Change. Critically, we must do this urgently, and in a way that is inclusive and fair to all.

Often bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, Indigenous Peoples received much-needed recognition at COP28. Despite being custodians and stewards of the world’s most intact ecosystems, including over a third of the world’s remaining irrecoverable carbon, Indigenous Peoples have gotten less than 1% of climate change funding to date. The situation of Indigenous women, frontline defenders in the fight against climate change, is even more precarious, as they have at times paid for their efforts with their lives. This must change. Gender inclusion plans that incorporate Indigenous women's traditional nature-based practices and their participation in decision-making bodies related to natural resource management must be a component of these efforts. By investing in nature, and in women and youth, including – or even especially – those from Indigenous groups, we invest in our planet, and promote positive climate action for all of us.

Dr. Marisa O. Ensor is an applied environmental and legal anthropologist currently based at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) where she leads the portfolio on climate security.  She is also the current Chair of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association’s Gender Interest Group (“EnPAx-GIG”).