RSE urges Commonwealth governments to take action on climate crisis

Scientific organisations from across the world have urged Commonwealth countries to take coordinated action to mitigate climate change.

In a new statement released on World Environment Day, 18 national academies and societies of science from around the world, including the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), called on the heads of Commonwealth governments to work together to ensure the recovery from COVID-19 addresses the climate emergency and biodiversity loss.

Arguing that COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of international cooperation, it says: “We must build on this global response to address the climate crisis.”

The statement says: “Global cooperation and effective policy are essential for tackling the virus and for ensuring a successful economic recovery. But the global pandemic does not change the fact that the world also continues to face an ever-growing environmental emergency.”

Vice-President International of the RSE Professor Marcel Jaspars said: “The RSE is committed to supporting global biodiversity and climate change discussions as these important topics are inextricably linked. Addressing these challenges inclusively and equitably in a timely fashion will ensure that the planet will be habitable for future generations.

“This statement, delivered by the Commonwealth academies, again brings these topics to the attention of Commonwealth leaders to ensure they are addressed adequately at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change discussions as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) and the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties (COP 15) so that globally coordinated action can be taken.”