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135. No Substitute For Nature with Zac Goldsmith

64 min • 20 december 2021

There’s no pathway to capping our global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius without protecting and restoring nature.

That’s the lay of the land according to The Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith, Minister for the Pacific and the International Environment - our final guest for 2021. At the close of a year that’s seen enormous momentum to incorporate forests and land use well and truly into the climate agenda, Lord Goldsmith shares insights into the context and his vision for the next twelve months.

So, where do we stand now? Among the remarkable outcomes of COP26 was a commitment to halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030. Signed by 141 countries, the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use covers an incredible 90 percent of global forest. We also saw meaningful progress at this year’s Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming. And the direction of travel? Our ultimate challenge and goal, Lord Goldsmith says, is to reconcile our economy with our natural world – and now has to be the turning point.

So! Join us for a reflection on some major moments on the podcast this past year and a look into this turning point moment. Can we reduce emissions by 7% each consecutive year from here on out?

And - we have a holiday-themed song this year as our last song of the season! A special acoustic performance of “It’s Christmas” by Callum Beattie. Stick around for it!

Thank you for a great season!

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Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

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Mentioned links from the episode:

Read: Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration On Forests and Land Use

Donate: Steps To Hope

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Thank you to our guest this week:

Zac Goldsmith (Rt Hon Lord)

Minister for the Pacific and the International Environment