Climate Change - Copenhagen: The Best Chance for a Changing Planet

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Adapting to Climate Change
The Conservancy is working to ensure habitats around the world can adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Why You Should Care
The impacts of climate change are already transforming life on Earth. See what’s happening, and what the Conservancy is doing about it.

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The best chance to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change might be this December, when the world’s governments meet in Copenhagen at the United Nations climate change conference.

With scientists warning that we need to cut emissions sharply as soon as possible — or else we’ll be gambling with our fate and the fate of the planet — the meetings at Copenhagen have taken on unprecedented importance.

The Nature Conservancy is actively participating in the Copenhagen negotiations to help ensure world leaders recognize the importance of three key strategies.

Stopping Deforestation

Emissions from deforestation are equal to those caused by the entire global transportation sector — all the cars, buses, and trucks on the road today. But innovative, on-the-ground forest carbon projects — such as the ones the Conservancy manages across the United States and the world — demonstrate that we can significantly reduce emissions by stopping deforestation if we reach a global agreement.

Adapting to Impacts

Healthy natural systems can help reduce the impacts of climate change on people and communities. The Conservancy is helping people and nature adapt to climate change impacts around the world…but a global agreement is needed that recognizes nature conservation as an effective adaptation strategy — and provides funding to execute adaptation efforts.

Reducing Global Emissions

A global treaty that significantly cuts emissions is essential to avoiding drastic climate changes. The United States will play a critical role in reaching a successful international agreement, and the Conservancy has been calling for federal legislation that will significantly reduce emissions through a cap-and-trade mechanism.

The Conservancy is committed to helping the world adopt a meaningful and effective global climate change accord. Our mission — to protect nature and preserve life — demands nothing less.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © 13bobby, via Creative Commons license (Copenhagen, Denmark); Photo © JoelDeluxe, via Creative Commons license (drought in New Mexico).