Panel: A global vision for a prosperous future within earth's boundaries | World Forum 2024

Participants share their views on how to create a prosperous future within the earth’s boundaries
Moderator
Claire Perry O’Neill, Co-Chair Global Imperatives Advisory Board, WBCSD, and Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, UK (2017-19)
Speakers:
Rita de Mesquita, National Secretary of Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights, Ministry of Environment, Brazil
Howard Covington, Advisory Board Member, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
Emily McKenzie, Technical Director, The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)
Rita de Mesquita explains that there is a huge effort in Brazil to bring together different types of scientists to better understand the Amazon. She notes that the climate and biodiversity crossroads require interdisciplinary solutions.
She continues by stating that 80% of climate solutions in Brazil will be nature-based. Brazil has six biomes, plus one of the largest coastlines in the world, so the solutions need to be diverse and localised. Rita argues that together, we can come up with something greater than the sum of the individual solutions.
Emily McKenzie explains that the TNFD has built on the climate initiative, focusing on disclosure to create transparency and encourage financial involvement. She continues by emphasising that the critical question regarding nature is ‘where?’, as so much related to nature is specific to place. She adds that improving understanding of traceability is also essential.
Emily tells the audience that the TNFD has produced a wealth of guidance on how to identify and assess nature-related projects, including how to engage with indigenous communities and societies. She describes how the TNFD incorporates a lot of feedback and avoids a top-down approach. There are 420 voluntary adopters, she continues.
Taking a big-picture view, Howard Covington explains his theory of critical pairs. For example, he pairs climate change with the energy transition, suggesting that how fast wind and solar develop, along with changes in global energy demand, are the critical variables for determining how quickly the world will warm.
He proposes that, for nature, the critical pair is the food system. He suggests that the speed at which the price and demand for alternative proteins change will determine the future impact on nature. He also discusses how population growth or decline, along with China’s role, may impact this.
Rita expresses her concerns around the assumption that technology alone can solve problems, suggesting that instead, citizens should ask themselves what changes they are willing to make, and what changes to their living standards they would accept. She proposes that protecting nature will require changes to our diets and our perceptions of well-being. Cultural shifts are needed, she argues.
She explains that her government department doesn’t try to change behaviour but works to accommodate different perspectives into policy design.
Emily McKenzie agrees with Howard that the food sector is critical but emphasises that nature is relevant for all sectors. She explains that 80% of sectors are adopting the TNFD.