Recipe for a habitable planet:

Ingredients (feeds 8-10 billion): 

  • 30 to 50% protected Earth’s ecosystems (you will need terrestrial, freshwater and marine – high-integrity versions taste best) 
  • Restored ecosystems in degraded areas
  • Improved ecosystem management
  • Finance sauce, generous amounts 
  • Respect for Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and knowledges
  • Input and leadership from local communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, and beyond
  • Ambitious NDCs and NBSAPs

Preparation: 

Before you begin, remember: nature is not your kitchen appliance – it’s your co-chef. 

  1. Set the oven to below 1.5ºC by rapidly phasing out all fossil fuels and slashing emissions in all sectors.
  2. In a large bowl of Global Stocktake, add a hearty dollop of increased ambition to protect and restore land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems. For optimal results, reference and follow the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
  3. Ensure ecosystem protection is added to the bowl ahead of restoration and improved management. (You need them all, but ecosystem protection is the most vital!) 
  4. Spoon in the input from diverse groups. 
  5. Pour NDCs and NBSAPs into the same bowl and carefully stir climate and biodiversity actions until fully combined and an even paste is achieved. 
  6. Add generous amounts of finance sauce including hefty amounts of direct financing for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. 
  7. This part is critical: if you forget the respect for Indigenous People’s rights and sovereignty, the dish will never set.

Pro tip!: Resist the temptation to sprinkle on carbon markets and biodiversity credits. Like artificial sweeteners –  they are superficially appealing but detrimental to the true flavour of climate justice.

Serving suggestion: This dish is best paired with a substantial helping of clean renewable fossil-free energy systems – without both of these ingredients on the plate, you will not have a palatable dish. But combined, it will satisfy any appetite for a flourishing habitable world. 

Bon appétit!