Wetlands International at COP26
The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, on 31 October – 12 November 2021 to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
What is COP26?
Every year, Parties to the UNFCCC meet to assess progress on the different streams of the Convention, enhance action, and agree on different rules, guidelines, implementation, among others. When the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 at COP21, every country agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2°C degrees and aim for 1.5°C degrees above pre-industrial levels, and agreed to a low carbon future (net-zero by 2050). Countries committed to bring forward national plans setting out how much they would reduce their GHGs emissions, and enhance adaptation, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). They agreed that every five years they would come back with an updated plan that would reflect their highest possible ambitions. Unfortunately, countries’ NDCs are currently not ambitious enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The decade out to 2030 will be crucial as the window of opportunity is closing – and countries must be much more ambitious and rigid with their climate plans to turn things around.
Our ambition
As Nature-based Solutions to climate change with far-reaching benefits for people and nature, wetlands – including mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests – offer a way for our countries to achieve more ambitious climate plans.
Yet, today, we are losing wetlands at a rate three times faster than forests. Still, they are not getting the same level of attention. Wetlands are increasingly drained, dammed and developed over leading to their degradation and rapid loss. This in turn reduces available freshwater, making our landscapes, food production, communities, economies and societies vulnerable and prone to natural, economic and social disasters. It affects the poorest and most vulnerable and contributes to a global biodiversity in freefall.
What we need to see at COP26
Our aim at COP26 is to raise awareness of the role of wetlands as one solution to climate change, based on our extensive field evidence, which includes the promotion of wetlands as strong solutions within NDCs. In doing so, we hope to mobilise finance for wetland restoration and conservation, from public and private sources, including the key role of voluntary carbon markets in enabling finance and supporting (developing) countries achieve their NDCs. Now is the time when countries can enhance their ambition in their NDCs, and for them to recognise that we cannot reach net-zero targets or achieve sustainable development without safeguarding and restoring the health of our global wetlands. During COP26 we will follow the negotiation process and provide technical support and advise on aspects relevant to wetlands.
Key messages
Our sessions
As co-organiser of the Peatland Pavilion
Delegates will be able to watch all sessions via the online platform in real time and on demand once a session has closed (please find all the recorded sessions in the Virtual Peatland Pavilion).
For an overview of all the sessions at the Peatland Pavilion, please click here.
Tuesday, 2 November
Accelerating peatlands through NDC’s
Time: 11.30 – 13.30 GMT
Organisers: Wetlands International
Speakers include: NDC Partnership representative; Anna Romanovskaya, Director of the Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, Russian Federation), Rubén Ramírez (Minister of Environment of Peru) and Pak Alue Dohong, Vice-Minister for Environment of Indonesia) tbc.
Type of event: Hybrid
Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kky-rZCph24
Tuesday, 2 November
Peatlands in NDCs & Long Term Strategies (LTSs)
Time: 14.00 – 15.30 GMT
Organisers: FAO/UNEP
Moderated by: Hans Schutten, Program Head Climate Smart Land-use, Wetlands International
Type of event: Hybrid
Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50DqvB8mBwM
Thursday, 4 November
Unlocking private finance for peatlands
Time: 9.30 – 11.00 GMT
Speakers include: Ricardo Ulate on behalf of Andrea Meza, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica; Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy of Scotland; Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO; Ligia Castro, Advisor to the Minister and CC Director of Ministry of Environment of Panama; Jane Madgwick (CEO Wetlands International); Femke Tonneijck, Head of Carbon, Wetlands International); Ruben Veefkind, Strategy Manager, Greenchoice; Ed Rumsey, Managing Partner, Permian Global; Ana Gloria Guzman, Executive Director Conservation International Costa Rica
Type of event: Hybrid
Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ill7vn45Q
Monday, 8 November
We walk the talk; inspiring peatland restoration success stories in Russia and the Congo
Time: 9.00 – 10.30 GMT
Organisers: Wetlands International
Speakers include:Tatiana Minayeva (for PEATRUS) and Tom Evans (WCS; Lac Tele , Congo)
Type of event: Hybrid
Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5olmJ3Z__Q
Monday, 8 November
Partners for Wetlands: Decade for Wetland Restoration
Time: 11.00 – 12.30 GMT
Organisers: RAMSAR Convention; BirdLife International; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Wetlands International (WI); Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT); World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Speakers include: Hans Schutten, Program Head Climate Smart Land-use, Wetlands International; WWF; IUCN; RAMSAR; FAO; UNEP
Type of event: Hybrid
Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMSrbS0snCc
Friday, 12 November
Dialogues towards a European Peatland Collaboration
Time: 11.00 – 13.00 GMT
Organisers: Irish Government, Bax & Company, UNEP, GPI, Eurosite, GMC, Wetlands International
Speakers include: Malcolm Noonan, Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, Ireland; Gudmundur Ingi Gudbrandsson, Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, Iceland; Pippa Hackett, Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, Ireland; Kristina Simonaityté, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Lithuania; Svenja Schulze, Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany; Franziska Tanneberger, Director – Greifwald Mire Centre; Andrew Millar, Chief Scientific Advisor, Scottish Government; Harm Schoten, Director – Eurosite; Aldert Van Weeren, Farmer – Wetland Product Foundation; Shane Regan, Eco-hydrologist – NPWS Ireland; Hans Schutten, Programme Head – Wetlands International, Dianna Kopansky, Coordinator – Global Peatlands Initiative; Minister Malcolm Noonan (Ireland)
Type of event: Hybrid
Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBLiFg4egcI
As co-organiser of the Water Pavilion
Tuesday, 2 November
Macroeconomic Resilience: Making Water-Sensitive Strategic Choices for Growth
Time: 12.45 – 13.30 GMT
Convenors: Rijkswaterstaat, Deltares, AGWA, World Bank, ADB, Wetlands International, OECD, The Resilience Shift, FCDO, GIZ/BMZ
Recording: https://youtu.be/-TjtMUGTIJI
Thursday, 4 November
Creating bankable climate adaptation projects with Nature based Solutions
Time: 10.30 – 11.30 Uk TIme (11.30-12.30 GMT)
Organisers: Wetlands International, EcoShape
Speakers include: Caroline van Tilburg (Climate Asset Management), the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (tbc), Jane Madgwick (CEO Wetlands International), Fokko van der Goot (EcoShape), Apri Susanto Astra (Wetlands International Indonesia)
Type of event: Virtual
Recording: https://youtu.be/mBrP57Pf4Ws
Friday, 12 November
Transboundary wetlands – from mitigation to adaptation
Time: 11.00 – 11.45 GMT
Organisers: Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenia, EC DG ENVI or DG CLIMA, Wetlands International, Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention
Speakers include: Jane Madgwick, CEO Wetlands International
Type of event: Virtual
Recording: https://youtu.be/OU_J1J8qgEg
Other events
Thursday, 4 November
Resilient Policies: Leveraging Water for National Climate Planning
Time: 13.15 – 14.45 GMT
Organisers: Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), OECD, IWMI, WMO, GWP
Speakers include: Peter Glas, Chair of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, The Delta Commission, The Netherlands, Jane Madgwick, Wetlands International, Mark Smith, IWMI, Aditi Mukherjee, IWMI, Imelda Bacudo, ASEAN Climate Resilience Network, Dr Paul Sayers, Sayers and Partners, Anjali Lohani, or Kidanemariam Tiruneh, Global Water Partnership, Dr Johannes Cullman, Director, Cross-cutting coordination, water and cryosphere, World Meteorological Organisation.
Type of event: Hybrid
Recording: https://youtu.be/gppDHqXCWJY
Friday, 5 November
Using Nature-Based Solutions for Adapting to Climate Change and Building Economic Resilience Based on Blue Economy Principle
Time: 6.20 – 7.50 GMT
Organisers: Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), Wetlands International, EDJPRL, Yapeka, Rare, Konservasi Alam Nusantara
Speakers include: Dr. Hendra Yusran Siry, Secretary Directorate General of Marine Spatial Management, MMAF, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Republic of Indonesia, MMAF, Dr. Pamudji Lestari, MSc, Acting Director General of Marine Spatial Management, MMAF, The Ambassador of Maldives to Indonesia (tbc), Jane Madgwick (CEO, Wetlands International), Imran Amin/Muhammad Ilman (YKAN), RARE & YAPEKA
Type of event: Virtual
Recording: https://youtu.be/G-MT6m29mek
Friday, 5 November
Ocean and Coastal Zones Event
Time: 14.30 – 17.30 GMT
Organisers: Marrakech Partnership
Speakers include: Jane Madgwick (CEO, Wetlands International)
Type of event: Hybrid
Recording: https://unfccc-cop26.streamworld.de/webcast/mpgca-ocean-and-coastal-zones-action-event-ocean-s
Wednesday, 10 November
Global Launch of the Great Blue Wall Initiative
Time: 17.00 – 20.00 GMT
Host: Minna Epps, Director of IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme
Invited speakers: Ambassador Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim – Co-chair of the Facilitative Working Group of the IPLC Platform of the UNFCCC, Member of Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee and UNSG SDGs Advocate, Member of the Board of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, Member of the Earth Shot Prize, Member of the Board of Conservation International, Jane Madgwick, Wetlands International CEO, William Warshauer, Technoserve CEO, Oliver Steed – Nekton CEO
Type of event: In-person, Nature Pavilion
Thursday, 11 November
Asia Water Hub at the Water Pavilion: Cities and Infrastructure
Time: 07:00–09:00 Glasgow ● 12:30–14:30 Colombo ● 15:00–17:00 Manila
Organisers: United Nations Sri Lanka, International Water Management institute (IWMI)
Speakers include: Fegi Nurhabni (Deputy Director for Disaster Mitigation and Climate Change Adaptation, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia (MMAF), Ritesh Kumar (Director Wetlands International South Asia), Asian Development Bank, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Rien. Dam, Delegated Representative Water – Indonesia, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO),The Netherlands-Indonesia
Type of event: Virtual
Recording: https://youtu.be/lW6XhVEeLAI
Virtual Peatland Pavilion
The Virtual Peatland Pavilion can be accessed online, where users will be able to interact and raise questions. New ‘Domes’ with new content, including recorded sessions, will be added over the duration of COP26 and beyond, so we encourage visitors to come back and explore the Virtual Pavilion time after time. You can access and take a tour of the Pavilion here.
Sign our open letter
In line with our objectives at COP26, our ongoing digital campaign #PowerofWetlands is focused on raising public awareness of and support for wetlands as Nature-based Solutions to climate and biodiversity action, particularly around their inclusion in NDCs to the Paris Agreement. Our overarching call is to make the safeguarding and restoration of wetlands a global and national priority. A growing global youth contingent have taken these demands to an open letter, calling on political and business leaders, and national focal points for the Paris Agreement, to include wetlands within climate plans. Read, sign and share the letter with your networks below.
Media centre
Press Releases
Water sector thirsty for change at Climate COP >
At COP26, where are the wetlands? >
Momentum gained at COP26 must ensure the future of wetlands>
Opinion
Al Jazeera, Restoring wetlands can help combat climate change >
Unlocking private finance for wetlands key to tackling climate change >
Daily Nation, Wetlands the powerhouses in climate change crisis war >
Wetlands and nature take center stage at Glasgow climate talks >
In the news
Bloomberg, The Search for a Global Carbon Fix Leads to a Scottish Peat Bog >
China Dialogue Ocean, COP26 deal sees progress on ocean protection >
Jane Madgwick, CEO of Wetlands International, speaks to Al Jazeera at COP26 about the critical role of wetlands as nature-based solutions to climate change.
Wetlands International response to the Glasgow Leader’s Declaration on Forests and Land Use:
These kinds of commitments are no substitute for ending fossil fuels, but they show they right kind of leadership, if promises are kept. However, without including wetlands in forest protection world leaders are missing the point. Wetlands are the number one carbon sink and a powerful climate change impacts mitigator, and continue to be ignored in climate action plans. Wetlands must be part of countries’ NDCs and be included in any discussions on climate finance and nature protection.
Wetlands International response to the Global Methane Pledge:
Resources
Social media toolkit
A trello board where you can download our social media cards, captions and key messages showcasing the power of wetlands. Show your support and tag us in your posts! Click here to access the toolkit.
Peatland Track Record
With 25 years of experience working on peatlands, we have drawn on our strengths as a science-based network organisation with expertise in managing water and wetlands, to expand our partnerships, knowledge base and action on peatlands around the world. Click here to explore our peatland track record.
Endorsed documents
Videos
Why wetlands are essential for life
Meet the #PowerofWetlands ambassadors!
Rewetting Russia’s Peatlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukDyxKzOzRE
The mires must be wet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E29jwwEADzE
Protect carbon megastores – Pantanal, Brazil
About the Pantanal – Corredor Azul
The regional climate weeks were held in the run up to COP26, and this event on 26 September 2021, co-organised by Wetlands International, International Alert, CARE, and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) for Africa Climate Week, engaged panelists from different levels in discussing how restoring wetlands contribute to making Sahelian communities more secure and resilient to climate change and conflict. Find out more here.
