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Climate change is one of the greatest global threats. Scientists confidently predict that average global warming of 2°C or more will result in dangerous and irreversible effects on nature, people and the economy.10 The ultimate aim (Article 2) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (unfccc) 11 is to avoid dangerous climate change. It includes stabilising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at a level and in a time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt naturally. The value and importance of ecosystems in tackling and responding to climate change, both in adaptation and mitigation, is therefore recognised inherently by the Convention.

The scientific evidence is overwhelming: climate change is happening, it is largely caused by human activities, it presents very serious global risks for people and biodiversity around the world and it demands an urgent global response. The direct and indirect impacts of climate change are of central concern to BirdLife’s objectives and targets, in terms both of biodiversity and of human development. The BirdLife Partnership operates in over one hundred countries and territories worldwide with over 2.5 million members, 10 million supporters and over 1 million hectares owned or managed. Together the BirdLife Partnership forms the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting bird life. BirdLife has a significant contribution to make to the climate change debate.