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What is the 2030 Strategic Framework on Climate and Nature?
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Once complete, the UK’s 2030 Strategic Framework on International Climate and Nature Action will outline the UK Government’s visions for their long-term global role in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.
👉 In this article we’ll look at what sort of issues the 2030 Strategic Framework will likely look to address and what action the UK Government has already taken in this area.
What is the 2030 Strategic Framework on Climate and Nature?
Well, it doesn’t actually exist yet! But the framework is currently in the process of development. What we do know however is that the 2030 Strategic Framework will define the UK Government’s vision for their long-term role in the world, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and that the framework seeks to adopt “an integrated approach to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and the protection, conservation and restoration of nature.”
In the first half of 2022 the Department for Environmental Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) began a consultation period on the 2030 Strategic framework for International Climate and Nature Action, inviting input to help inform their strategic thinking on the international actions that the UK Government should prioritise over the coming decade.
They issued a call for views and sought input from a diverse range of stakeholders with an interest or role in protecting the planet. The views provided will be used to shape and inform the UK’s 2030 Strategic Framework for International Climate and Nature Action.
❓ What questions did Defra ask in their call for views?
The UK Government was clear in the fact that it was not interested in views on domestic interventions in the UK. The 2030 Strategic Framework on Climate and Nature will deal with the UK’s position in relation to other countries. The call for view stated that they were specifically interested in opinions on the UK’s strategic advantage deriving from bilateral and multilateral relationships, economic and trade positions, UK’s soft power, their leadership position in climate negotiations, and Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA investments.
In addition to this, Defra was also interested in collecting views on the wider environmental, societal and economic impacts of climate change and nature action.
The consultation put forward five specific questions to stakeholders, these were:
- Relative to other nations or international organisations, what do you consider are the most impactful and strategic interventions that the UK Government can take for climate change mitigation internationally?
- Relative to other nations or international organisations, what do you consider are the most impactful and strategic interventions that the UK Government can take to support international climate change adaptation action?
- Relative to other nations or international organisations, what do you consider are the most impactful interventions the UK Government can take to halt biodiversity loss internationally?
- What are the most important interventions the UK Government can take to deliver co-benefits for climate, nature and people?
- Do you have any evidence regarding particular regions or countries that the UK Government should be focusing on, both in the immediate and long term?
What sort of answers were provided?
Answers from relevant stakeholders are varied and wide reaching, but we’ve identified a few of the common themes and have outlined what these are below.
What are the most impactful and strategic interventions the UK Government can take for climate change mitigation internationally?
Amongst the responses published by the individual stakeholders online, there is a running theme with regards to the prioritisation of green technologies and renewable energy sources. Hand in hand with this is the need to concentrate efforts on reducing fossil fuels by cutting out subsidies, loans and financial assistance for fossil fuel industries.
Another key point that came up time and time again was the UK’s role in the global supply chain.There are strong links between many of the products and goods that we consume in the UK (beef, palm oil, soy, timber, minerals for fertiliser) and biodiversity loss, deforestation, and the release of harmful levels of carbon emissions. By looking to provide support through funding, guidance, policy, and the education of UK consumers the UK Government can help to address this issue on a global level.
What are the most impactful and strategic interventions that the UK Government can take to support international climate change adaptation action?
Climate change will increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, in fact we’re already seeing the effects of this. The UK Government, and other developed nations around the world bear a responsibility to developing nations to provide assistance to help those worst affected by climate change. This will require a concerted global effort and coordinated financial support for those expected to be the worst hit. This was something that was consistently highlighted by stakeholders who called on the UK Government to redouble its effort and commitments in this area.
But it’s not enough to simply deal with the consequences, we also need to try to prevent further damage by cutting down on global carbon emissions. The UK has already legally committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 as per the Paris Agreement, and it is a signatory to a growing number of international statutes and regulations that aim to address climate change and environmental issues. However, if it is going to achieve these aims then it will need to ensure that the correct frameworks and policies are in place to succeed. Stakeholders commended the fact that the UK is committed to increasing disclosure requirements on companies in the UK when it comes to climate and nature related disclosures, however, it was noted that the UK Government needs to do more to mandate action off the back of this.
What are the most impactful interventions the UK Government can take to halt biodiversity loss internationally?
Amongst the responses from stakeholders, something that came up frequently was UK companies' direct and indirect influence on biodiversity loss globally. Stakeholders encouraged stronger reporting requirements on companies with regards to their upstream and downstream activity impacts.
Other suggestions included the provision of overseas aid that specifically targets the reduction of habitat and species loss. This should also include programmes to support overseas biodiversity protection as well as sustainable income for local communities.
What are the most important interventions the UK Government can take to deliver co-benefits for climate, nature and people?
Stakeholders focused on action with regards to sustainable development goals, citing the strong link between climate change, nature loss and inequality. They also reiterated many of the same recommendations in response to questions 1 to 3.
Do you have any evidence regarding particular regions or countries that the UK Government should be focusing on?
Stakeholders highlighted that the countries in need of the most urgent support are developing nations suffering direct effects of climate change - ie. rising sea levels, heatwaves, forest fires, drought and flooding.
They highlighted the fact that in addition to the support required to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, that focus also needs to be given to helping developing nations to transition to net zero. This will require both financial and practical support to help facilitate their adoption of renewable energy sources and green technology.
What’s next
The call for input officially closed in 2022, and the UK Government is now considering all of the input it received. The views provided will help to shape and inform the 2030 Strategic Framework for International Climate Action and Nature. At this point in time no further update has been given as to when the framework will be published.
What action has the UK already taken when it comes to international action on climate change and nature?
The UK Government has previously said that tackling climate change and biodiversity loss was its number one international priority. So what action has it taken in this area?
The most notable contribution is the UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF). This a commitment to support developing countries as they respond to the challenges and opportunities of climate change. UK ICF plays a crucial role in addressing the global challenge of climate change and between the period of 2016 and 2021 the UK invested £5.8 billion in this area. The fund aims to:
- Strengthen global peace, security and governance
- Strengthen resilience and response to crises
- Promote global prosperity
- Tackle extreme poverty and help the world’s most vulnerable
Under the ICF the UK Government aims to provide finance to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change. This is often in the form of loans, grants and export credits. The UK Government recently committed to doubling its funding support to £11.6 billion between 2021 and 2026.
Notable examples of programmes that ICF has supported include:
- The Climate and Resilience Framework Programme (CLARE) which supports global disaster risk management and recovery efforts.
- Forest Governance Markets and Climate (FGMC) helps countries to tackle illegal logging and deforestation. This programme has been so successful that 100% of Indonesia’s timber exports are now sourced from independently audited factories and forests (vs. 2005, when only 20% of Indonesia's timber was legal).
- The Green Climate Fund is an international climate fund that supports developing countries to establish climate plans and strategies to reduce their emissions and become climate resilient. The UK Government is one of the largest contributors (just behind the US and Japan).
- The UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate transitions (UK PACT) facilitates grant funding for long-term capacity building projects as well as the mobilisation of short-term expertise and skill sharing.
Through funding the UK has contributed significantly to international efforts to tackle climate change, but this is not the only way in which it is helping. The UK is also tackling the effects of climate change and challenges to the environment and nature at a global level through its international development strategy. Notable examples of their effort include:
- Leading by example globally (the UK was the first major economy to set a binding target for net zero emissions). The UK Government has pledged to continue to push strong international commitments in this area.
- Expanding British expertise to help countries meet their climate goals through peer to peer exchange.
- Investment in green technologies and research. This includes promoting partnerships and alliances globally to achieve global impact.
👀 Looking Forward
In addition to addressing the challenge of climate change and biodiversity loss at a national level, the UK is also strongly committed to tackling these challenges at an international level. Through funding and international commitments the UK has positioned itself as a global leader in this area.
The 2030 Strategic Framework for International Climate and Nature Action will further strengthen the work that the UK has already taken as well as providing an outline for the UK Government’s efforts in this area.
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