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The Nature Conservancy took its place at the table when Governor Schwarzenegger convened a summit of world leaders to address global solutions to climate change. The November 2008 event provided an opportunity for states to take direct action to reduce emissions and influence their respective national governments’ efforts in the upcoming UN negotiations for the next international treaty to fight global warming.
President-elect Barak Obama addressed the summit's attendees and promised that his administration would open a "new chapter in American leadership on climate change." Watch the full video of Obama's remarks.
Conservancy scientists have identified climate change as the number one threat to the lands and waters we protect. Scientists believe the impact to the western United States could be more severe than for any other region in the country. By 2050, sea level is predicted to rise by one foot or more and 30 percent of all species, including California’s famed Joshua tree and desert tortoise, will likely be at a high risk of extinction.
However, even if greenhouse gas emissions were stopped cold in their tracks today, climate change would still dramatically impact our lives and the lives of future generations in ways we are just starting to be able to predict.
But there is hope. California is making major strides in addressing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and The Nature Conservancy has been the lead voice for nature every step of the way.
Forests Are Critical to Our Future
For more than a decade, the Conservancy has demonstrated the importance of forests as a critical component in any climate change solution.
“Destruction of the world’s forests is the second leading contributor to climate change, producing about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere each year — more than is produced by all the automobiles, planes and trains on Earth,” said Mike Sweeney, executive director of the Conservancy in California.
The Conservancy was a key stakeholder in the creation of California’s landmark climate change legislation and the state’s development of the most rigorous standards in the world for certifying forest carbon projects.
The Garcia River Forest, the focus of a collaborative project between the Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy, became one of the first forests — and the largest — recognized by the State of California as a verified source of carbon credits. The success at Garcia is a living model of how credible, reliable and verifiable forest projects worldwide can not only slow the pace of climate change but also create new jobs, support communities and protect nature.
California Leads the Way
The Conservancy is involved in designing how to meet the emissions reductions required by California Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. AB 32 — the first comprehensive government-mandated climate change legislation to date — requires the development of regulations to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020.
As a result, California is poised to create the first economywide cap and trade program, one that would include trading in credits from forest carbon projects both within the U.S. and abroad, serving as a model for other global leaders to follow.
“If we are to survive the impacts of climate change, we must address deforestation on a global scale,” continued Sweeney.
Across the state and around the world we are using innovative science and demonstrating on-the-ground successes to ensure people and nature can adapt, survive and thrive in a changing climate.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom): Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC (redwoods); Photo © John Birchard (Garcia River Forest).
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