United States - Under the theme “Building the Investment Case for Sustainable Landscapes and Restoration,” the 2018 Global Landscapes Forum Investment Case Symposium took place at the World Bank in Washington D.C. on 30 May. Attracting more than 500,000 listeners and engagers, the Symposium brought together local communities, scientific experts, investors and politicians to discuss how public and private finance can better partner to address climate change.

Center for International Forestry Research Director General Robert Nasi opened the Symposium, urging those across the environmental sector to act now, if we are to survive in a “3-degree warmer world.” The following is a transcript of his welcome address.

ROBERT NASI: Welcome to the third edition of the Global Landscapes Forum Investment case. Many of you here and online attended the first two at the Royal Society in London, and we are very pleased to hold today’s event on the premises of one of our founding members, the World Bank. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them profusely for their leadership, continued support and commitment to the GLF community and its mission.

Launched six years ago in Warsaw, the GLF has evolved and grown in parallel with global developments. The key turning point came in 2015 with the adoption of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. This opened the door to a new era in our quest for sustainable development and set clear targets for action on climate change.

These two developments recognized that we need to rethink the way we go about development. We must work in an encompassing and holistic way that stops jeopardizing nature for human development and creates more equitable, more just and more resilient societies and landscapes. And we also must stop the increase in global average temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The private and financial sectors have also embraced these goals and targets, beginning with the New York Declaration on Forests.

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