30 for 30

The clock is ticking. In September 2020, the Metronome clock in New York read ‘7:103:15:10:10’, the estimated years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the Earth experiences irreversible damage from global warming. 

Now, over a year on from the Manhattan clock display of the crucial 7-year window of action, the world continues to experience the consequences of the climate crisis. According to NASA, the average temperature of our planet’s surface has risen by around ‘2.12 degrees Fahrenheit (1.18 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century’; a warming trend they state to unequivocally be caused by human activity. With 2020 being one of the warmest years on record, the need for actionable, impactful change has never been dearer. 

But it isn’t all bad.  

Thankfully, the role of nature no longer needs to be justified as part of the solution. It is now globally recognised as a way of tackling the climate crisis. Effective climate action requires everyone to get onboard, from governments to industry professionals, influencers, and activists. We all have our part to play.  

2030 & The Need for Solutions

The world is spotlighting 2030 as a signpost for meaningful transformation of our relationship with nature. Between the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the EU’s 2030 Climate & Energy Framework, nations are dedicating to the change that people and the planet are crying out for.  

The upcoming UN Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow, COP26, is set to be a huge hotspot for knowledge sharing, actionable planning, and securing positive outcomes for the coming decades. Nature should be a pinnacle part of that discussion.  

We spoke to industry expert James Lloyd, Coalition Lead of Nature4Climate, about the important role of nature in meeting the global goals that will be discussed at COP26: 

“The science is clear, we cannot half emissions or achieve a nature positive economy in the next decade without significant investment and commitment to Nature-based Solutions. We all must put nature at the heart of our decision making and forefront of the solution.” James Lloyd, Coalition Lead of Nature4Climate

How the Conversation is Changing 

In the past two years, more and more public figures, NGOs, activist communities, and politicians have celebrated the role of nature online. We at Onalytica analysed the online conversation on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and what we found is pretty encouraging: 

• Although the volume of conversation on Twitter around the broad climate debate has fluctuated over the past two years, mentions of NbS have remained consistent and actually grown in 2021! 

• NbS now holds 5.24% share of voice of the broad climate debate, an increase of 1.46% since 2019! 

The fact that discussion around NbS is growing is extremely exciting and encouraging. We can’t lose momentum in this pivotal decade.

How the Industry is Advancing Towards a Nature Positive 2030

We asked industry professionals how they think we can get to a Nature Positive 2030.

Professor Nathalie Seddon, Director of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative at the University of Oxford emphasised the need to realign investments away from long-term damage and towards nature-based solutions:

“To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, we need bold commitments, backed up with actionable plans, to stop investments in activities that lock in long-term damage to the biosphere and climate (in particular, we need to defund the destruction and degradation of natural ecosystems within our supply chains). At the same time, we need equally bold and actionable commitments to scale up investment biodiversity based and community-led nature-based solutions in addition to and not instead of rapid phase out of fossil fuel use.” 

Justin Adams, Executive Director of the Tropical Forest Alliance, also emphasised the crucial role of NbS investment in achieving a Nature Positive 2030:

“There is no path to 1.5 degrees, and certainly not to a ‘Nature Positive’ future in 2030, without significant investment in nature-based solutions (NbS). From conservation to restoration, NbS must be central at COP26 – and they remind us of the interconnection of all life, something we must accept as fundamental to truly deliver sustainable change.” 

Paul Redman, Executive Director of ‘If Not Us Then Who?’, highlighted the essential role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in safeguarding nature:

“In order to protect natural landscapes by 2030 we need to protect the people that live within them, Indigenous peoples and local communities. They are our lost link to Eden, a time when we lived in harmony with nature. Not separate from nature but a part of nature itself. So who better to protect local landscapes beyond 2030 than our relatives who still know our old ways? Those that feel connected to the changing climate the most. If we grant their communal land titles, invest in their leadership and listen to their ancestral knowledge then we regain our chance to be human, to connect to the nature inside us all.”

How can Influencers Help?

“Having a vision for the art of the possible is critical. It feeds our practical efforts, drives our actions, and fuels our behaviors. We cannot underestimate the role of influencers to help us navigate our way to restoring and rejuvenating our planet.” James Lloyd, Coalition Lead of Nature4Climate

More and more, we see Nature-based Solutions being factored into government policies and sustainability initiatives, but as you see from the graph above, there’s still a long way to go before the sheer importance of NbS is reflected in the wider climate debate.

Influencers can use their platforms to emphasis it’s importance as part of the solution. They can raise awareness of nature’s impact upon the climate crisis, share encouraging success stories of effective change and inspire global action.

Ahead of COP26 we wanted to showcase ‘30 for 2030’. A list of individuals and organisations that are key influential voices amplifying Nature and COP26 ahead of the conference.

Top 30 Individuals

We looked into which individuals were key influential voices discussing Cop26 and Nature. Below are the Top 30 for the past 3 months.

Top 30 Brands

We looked into which brands were key influential voices discussing Cop26 and Nature. Below are the Top 30 for the past 3 months.

The above list was created using our Onalytica platform. If you are interested in learning more about identifying, managing, and engaging with influencers click here to request a demo!