CREAF's attendance at COP28, marked by adaptation to the climate and biodiversity crises

CREAF attends the COP28 on climate change to contribute scientific knowledge and views on the need for the world's governments to promote actions to adapt to climate change and to preserve biodiversity in a context of global change. For this reason, the director of CREAF, Joan Pino Vilalta, and the scientific coordinator, Alicia Pérez-Porro, are attending this international multilateral meeting that takes place in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) from November 30 to December 12, 2023. On the one hand, both collaborate with the delegation of the Climate Action Department of the Generalitat of Catalunya that travels to the international summit and, on the other, Pérez-Porro takes part in several events called by Regions4, the international association that integrates sub-national governments of which CREAF is a member.

The relationship between people and nature, the necessary adaptation of the planet to global change and the preservation of biodiversity, some of the areas of discussion around which COP28 will revolve.

The relationship between people and nature, the planet's adaptation to global change and the consequent preservation of biodiversity are some of the areas of discussion around which COP28 will revolve. In relation to these issues, Joan Pino Vilalta asserts that "it is time to rethink people's relationship with nature", in line with the United Nations' statement that in 2050 more than two thirds of the world's population will be living in cities. For this reason, it emphasises that "green urban infrastructure will have to provide environmental, health and educational benefits that will be key for a large population with very different needs". Moreover, it must allow for the conservation and restoration of a particularly deteriorated biodiversity through diverse and imaginative nature-based solutions".

"CREAF accompanies the government of the Generalitat de Catalunya in the process of translating the major agreements reached at this COP into national policies"

JOAN PINO, director of CREAF

In a context of global change, science is key, as Alicia Pérez-Porro reminds us: "Science is an essential element in all climate negotiations, especially in a climate emergency scenario. But science is also essential when international agreements are translated into public policies and management directives at international, national, regional and local levels. This second role of science is what we at CREAF most want to reinforce at this COP, and to contribute to adapting multilateral decisions to our regional context".

A territorial innovation laboratory

Political action against the twin global crises of biodiversity and climate is the guiding thread of the video and policy brief 'Transformative Multi-Level Action: Subnational Solutions for Climate & Biodiversity', which will be presented by Regions4 at COP28. CREAF has produced a video to disseminate this document aimed at political decision-makers, in which the Regions4 association calls for recognition of the role of sub-national governments in implementing international commitments on climate action and biodiversity. The international organisation states that the regional public administration is a good laboratory of territorial innovation to provide innovative solutions at local level, suitable to be adapted and replicated all over the world.

"Science is essential to all climate negotiations, especially when international agreements are translated into public policies and management directives at international, national, regional and local levels"

ALICIA PÉREZ-PORRO, scientific coordinator at CREAF

CREAF joins other research centres and universities from all over the world that attend international multilateral conventions such as the COPs. The presence of science in these forums provides the scientific component of the issues that are dealt with and informs the solutions that are proposed and that imply political action, based on specialised knowledge. As a scientific centre specialised in climate change and biodiversity, CREAF is an observer organisation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCCIt has already been represented at the last two international conferences of the parties, the COP27 held in Egypt and the COP26 held in Scotland.

At COP27, the first Mediterranean pavilion was convened, promoted by the Union for the Mediterranean, among others, in which CREAF played an active role, taking part in various events. With this strategy, CREAF also supports the actions of the Government of Catalonia to translate global agreements into environmental policies in Catalonia.