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WCS at the UN Climate Change Conference

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WCS Events at COP28
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WATCH: The WCS team addresses the importance of COP28; why nature matters in addressing the climate crisis; how COP28 can be just and effective; and what success will look like coming out of Dubai.

“We must work harder to transition away from fossil fuels and to scale clean energy solutions. But we must also recognize we are failing to take advantage of nature as a solution. We know nature has an immense capacity to store carbon and help us adapt to climate impacts we cannot avoid.”
—WCS President and CEO Monica Medina, who will lead the WCS delegation in Dubai

WORLD LEADERS are gathering in Dubai to assess global progress in addressing the climate crisis and to propose solutions to help the world meet the collective long-term goals set forth in the Paris Agreement. A WCS delegation to COP28 will be on the ground leading the call for a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels; a larger investment in nature to address the climate and biodiversity crises; and the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in all COP28 decisions and outcomes.

• The climate crisis requires much more rapid transition away from fossil fuels—unless that happens, we'll continue to have worsening impacts on people and nature.
• Nature, particularly forests and peatlands, is already helping us, keeping the Earth from warming considerably more, so we need to protect it. These landscapes are nature's infrastructure for climate regulation.
• Protecting nature is critical not only for climate, but also for the biodiversity that our food and health systems depend on.
• Indigenous Peoples and local communities are amongst the best guardians of nature, and their rights needs to be recognized and respected in COP28 decisions, including through the full recognition and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and other international human rights instruments.