WWF-Canada ready to work with new government to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change

Tina Knezevic

All parties must work together to protect nature

Ottawa, ON, September 21, 2021 – WWF-Canada is looking forward to working with the re-elected Liberal federal government during this critical time for action to reverse biodiversity loss and curb the effects of climate change.

It is imperative that nature’s recovery becomes a national priority. All parties must work together to realize our commitments, as part of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the Global Ocean Alliance, to protect at least 30 per cent of Canada’s land, freshwater and oceans by 2030. And all parties must pay attention to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recent “code red” for humanity and act quickly to reduce carbon emissions and push to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The path to keep global warming below 1.5°C is narrow but still exists. The alternative is increased climate disruption and the extinction of over one million species worldwide.

Investing in nature-based solutions that both provide habitat for wildlife and fight climate change by storing carbon in nature must be part of the plan. The new government must also invest in Indigenous-led conservation, including creating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas stewarded by Indigenous guardians, while also recognizing and respecting Indigenous knowledge and governance in all aspects of conservation in Canada.

“As the window to effect real, long-term positive change for the planet closes, WWF-Canada is ready to work with the new government to effectively tackle the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change,” says Megan Leslie, WWF-Canada President and CEO.

WWF-Canada expects that these issues will be included in mandate letters issued to Cabinet members by the Prime Minister.

 

For more information contact:

Tina Knezevic, communications specialist, WWF-Canada, tknezevic@wwfcanada.org

About World Wildlife Fund Canada 
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive. For more information, visit wwfcastg.wwf.ca.