Why climate action needs nature action and vice versa

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When we talk about tackling climate change, the conversation usually starts with how much we emit carbon, how to reduce it, and which sectors are responsible. That’s understandable but there’s a bigger picture. The natural world is central to how we address it as nature is not a sideshow in the climate story. It’s a vital ally. Forests, wetlands, oceans and grasslands regulate our atmosphere, absorb carbon, and shield us from extreme weather. If we degrade these ecosystems, we weaken our best defences. If we restore and protect them, we accelerate progress toward net zero and build resilience along the way.

Nature and climate

Nature and climate should be synonymous at this point. Nature acts as a carbon sink and if we destroy these ecosystems, not only do we lose carbon absorption capacity, we also release huge amounts of stored carbon. For example, mangroves sequester carbon powerhouses. They store up to four times more carbon than tropical forests. They also buffer coastlines from storm surges, which is a growing threat as seas rise and weather patterns intensify. So, protecting mangroves is both a nature action and a climate action.

Likewise, tropical forests, from the Amazon to Borneo, regulate rainfall, stabilise weather, and provide homes for half the world’s terrestrial species. When these forests are cleared, the impacts ripple across continents as climate patterns shift and rainfall drops. It can also lead to high local temperatures and vanishing wildlife. Moreover, the people who depend on these ecosystems, often Indigenous and rural communities, are left even more vulnerable.

Why it matters now

Historically, climate strategies have focused on energy, transport, and infrastructure. Nature has often been an afterthought, tucked away in biodiversity reports or “offset” schemes. Now, we need integrated plans. That means climate strategies must include restoring degraded land, protecting biodiversity, halting deforestation, and cleaning up our rivers and oceans. At the same time, conservation plans must account for climate impacts such as how rising temperatures are pushing species out of their native environments or making habitats uninhabitable.

For the Travel & Tourism sector, this is a pivotal moment. Nature is our biggest asset. Tourists don’t travel to see smog or scorched landscapes. They go to see coral reefs, savannahs, rainforests, national parks - these are places alive with beauty and biodiversity. If these disappear, so does our product. So, our sector has a vested interest in integrating nature and climate action to our future.

The next decade is critical. We are on a tight timeline to limit global warming. The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep the rise in global average temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while striving to limit it to 1.5°C. However, in recent years, global leaders have increasingly focused on the 1.5°C target and for good reason. According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), surpassing 1.5°C would significantly increase the risk of extreme weather, including more intense droughts, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall. To stay within that limit, global emissions must peak no later than 2025 and fall by 43% by 2030.

At the same time, we are losing nature at a staggering rate with one million species at risk of extinction, according to the UN. These are not separate emergencies as they’re two sides of the same coin. Climate change accelerates biodiversity loss. And biodiversity loss makes us more vulnerable to climate impacts. It’s a vicious cycle. Integrated action is the only way to break it. The good news is that there are ways to mitigate these challenges:  

• Protect existing ecosystems: Stopping deforestation is cheaper and faster than replanting forests later. We need strong legal protections, local enforcement, and community-led stewardship.

• Restore degraded land: Reforestation, wetland restoration, regenerative agriculture are not just buzzwords. They’re practical, proven tools that capture carbon and revive local ecosystems.

• Support nature-positive business models: In tourism, that means investing in low-impact infrastructure, supporting community-owned conservation areas, and building supply chains that protect rather than exploit nature.

At WTTC, we are pushing for this integration across our members, governments, and the broader private sector. We’re also working to link climate and nature metrics, so that when companies report their emissions, they’re also reporting on land use, ecosystem impacts, and biodiversity.

The climate fight isn’t just about carbon. Trying to solve the climate crisis while ignoring nature is like bailing water out of a sinking boat without plugging the hole. It’s time to stop treating nature and climate as separate silos. They are part of the same story. If we get this integration right, we can build a future that’s not just sustainable, but genuinely thriving. So, let’s not wait until the damage is irreversible. The solutions are in front of us and we just need to act.

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