California signs the Edinburgh Declaration
At COP26 Scotland has encouraged governments and cities to take action for nature by committing to the Edinburgh Declaration.
The state of California was the first to sign the agreement committing devolved bodies and governments to take action to halt biodiversity loss, emphasising the key role
The state of California was the first to sign the agreement committing devolved bodies and governments to take action to halt biodiversity loss, emphasising the key role that such bodies have in protecting and improving biodiversity in local areas. (Read the Edinburgh Declaration in full below).
The Edinburgh Process will mobilise a global network of 200 governments, cities and local authorities to agree on a shared set of commitments for nature over the next decade.
Next April the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of Parties (COP15) will meet in Kunming China when a new global biodiversity framework will be agreed.
The Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis met Scotland’s External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson in Glasgow during COP26 to formally sign the Edinburgh Declaration. California joins the city of Paris, Sao Paulo and Tokyo as the latest signatory.
Mr Robertson said: “The Scottish Government was one of the first to recognise the twin crises of nature and climate – and we are calling for global transformative action, as well as acting here at home.
“The support and influence of governments like California, and ourselves, will be critical to ensuring the goals and targets set out in the global biodiversity framework are achieved. I would encourage governments of all levels, including cities and local authorities, from around the world to take action for nature and sign the Edinburgh Declaration – and here at COP26 is the ideal opportunity to do so.
“This is a crucial turning points in our history for tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity – and Scotland is at the heart of both. We are working to build commitment among governments around the world to raise the ambition at next year’s COP15 international biodiversity summit, in line with our own goal to halt the ongoing loss of nature by 2030, and restoring nature by 2045.”
Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis said: “The nature crisis is real. We must move faster and on multiple fronts to address the joint crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. I am proud to sign the Edinburgh Declaration on behalf of Californians and our strong commitment to this global effort.
“As a subnational party with 40 million people to protect, 105 million acres we rely on for food, water, and habitat, and the fifth largest economy in the world to sustain, we understand what is at stake. There is no future in business as usual.”
Sub-state levels of administration are recognised and integrated into the UN CBD and Scotland is leading on the Edinburgh Process to ensure that the voice of these bodies is heard. The aim is to achieve a decision and plan of action for adoption at COP15.
The Edinburgh Declaration:
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