Solving the climate crisis will take all of us working together to build a safer, healthier, and more resilient future for all.
We are therefore excited to become a part of the climate changemakers that are the We Don’t Have Time community. We had a great time at The Climate Hub at SXSW with We Don’t Have Time, and we are eager to continue contributing to the dialogue here and discuss how we move forward to achieve climate goals. Creating a bridge to a livable future for us on planet Earth is all about each of us taking the climate action that it is within our power to do. Let’s start off by telling you about four goals we are working hard to achieve.

The La Chorrera indigenous community goes along the Igara Paraná River to conduct an ecosystem service assessment of the forest surrounding La Chorrera, Predio Putumayo Indigenous Reserve, Department of Amazonas, Colombia. © Luis Barreto / WWF-UK
For decades, WWF has engaged with millions of Americans, leading businesses, and government leaders to address the climate emergency. At this critical moment, WWF is focusing its climate efforts in the places where it is well-positioned to make the most significant impact.
Combining its global outreach with local expertise, WWF is leveraging capabilities across the organization to accomplish the following goals:
- Support a more rapid transition of our economy to clean energy sources.
- Promote the protection, management and restoration of nature as an effective means to mitigate climate change and to help protect communities from adverse impacts.
- Adapt to the impacts which are already happening, where climate change is causing damage to our economy, our communities, and the ecosystems that support life on Earth.

This particular solar project supplies power to Central Community College in Nebraska, which is the first college in the state to be 100% fully powered by renewables. © Rachel Stump / WWF-US
WWF Partnerships
WWF has a long history of working with companies to encourage them to adopt climate-friendly goals and change their practices for the benefit of the planet. WWF's leadership is active within several coalitions and has already helped to move the needle on decarbonizing the US economy.
Here are several of our partnerships that we are excited to be working with:
- WWF is a partner in the Science Based Targets initiative, which helps companies commit to and achieve net zero emissions reduction targets. Last year, WWF helped develop the world’s first standard method for companies in land-intensive sectors to set science-based targets that include land-based emission reductions and removals, and has more recently helped launch Science Based Targets for Nature which additionally allow companies to set goals for nature conservation alongside their emissions targets.
- The Climate Business Network (CBN) is a group of companies committed to transforming their businesses to dramatically reduce their emissions throughout their entire value chain. Each partner works both bilaterally with WWF climate experts and networks with other CBN members to drive forward on issues such as setting and implementing Science-Based Targets, engaging their supply chains and investing in emissions reductions beyond their value chain.
- America Is All In is the largest coalition of non-federal stakeholders promoting the Paris climate goals — cutting U.S. emissions in half by 2030, and reaching net zero emissions by 2050, all the while reducing the impacts of climate disruption. The coalition is diverse and it includes states, tribal nations, cities, as well as academic, cultural and religious institutions and businesses.

Aerial view of forest restoration site for orangutan conservation at Bukit Piton Forest Reserve, Lahad Datu, Sabah. © WWF-Malaysia / Mazidi Abd Ghani
Nature’s greatest technology for combating climate change: Forests
To make an immediate impact against climate change, we have a technology that is readily available, and has worked for thousands of years – forests. Forests have the natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), and are already storing much of the world’s carbon emissions. With the climate crisis in full swing, we need to better protect Earth’s forests from deforestation and degradation so we don’t lose one of our best allies in fighting climate change. We must devote resources to the better management of our forests because scientists estimate that up to 13% of global carbon emissions come from deforestation.
Here is how WWF is working to conserve and protect our forests —
- WWF advocates for high integrity, high quality carbon markets. WWF recognizes that as we look for ways to encourage the use of nature to sequester excess carbon, it’s important to make sure that the tools being developed to do this secure real climate benefits, and also maximize co-benefits to nature and to communities.
- WWF was one of the eight authoring organizations that issued The Tropical Forest Credit Integrity (TFCI) Guide. The TFCI has been developed for companies interested in purchasing carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market to differentiate among forest carbon credits by impact, quality, and scale. This will help move the market toward credits with high social and environmental integrity.
- Curbing the flow of illegal and unsustainable logging. Forests will not survive unless the responsible management of them becomes the norm. WWF works to strengthen the US government’s ability to prosecute illegal timber cases; stop illicit logging in countries that export high volumes of timber; ensure full implementation of the Lacey Act; and design rural energy programs that rely on fuels other than firewood.
- WWF and our partners developed the Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI). This tool allows participants in carbon markets and carbon credit transactions to obtain transparent information on the quality of carbon credits. This enables users to understand what types of carbon credits are more likely to deliver actual emission reductions as well as social and environmental benefits.
- WWF works alongside nations as they accelerate and amplify conservation for a more sustainable, prosperous future for the people and planet through a collaboration called Enduring Earth. Central to our approach is Project Finance for Permanence, an innovative and proven model that fully funds conservation projects to ensure durable and scalable impact. Collaborative partners have applied this approach with five nations, conserving more than 90 million hectares and benefitting from thousands of people.

Healthy mangroves can absorb large quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it, thereby decreasing the effects of global warming. (Morondava, West Madagascar) © naturepl.com / Inaki Relanzon / WWF
Paying it Forward
Achieving our climate goals and ensuring a livable future for our planet takes big ideas, committed collaboration, and, if we’re being honest, a lot of money. We have to make a lot of changes in how we handle the entire life cycle of nearly everything we use in our daily lives. We have to bolster the power of large landscapes to sequester carbon and meet our climate goals. And we have to make sure we have the right solutions in place to adapt to the changes global warming is already making to our planet. These things all cost money.
WWF is focused on using its substantial knowledge of global markets and nature-based solutions to drive funding for climate action, specifically for the nature-based solutions that we need to help us reach net zero.
Here's what WWF is doing to “secure the bag” for climate and secure our planet’s future:
WWF is an Accredited Entity of the Green Climate Fund, which means we work to find and facilitate climate projects that can be funded by the GCF. Our most recent success is securing over $45 million from GCF to complete the funding portfolio for the HECO Columbia project, which will create a large landscape conservation project that will sequester more than 46.3 metric tonnes of carbon emissions reduced or avoided. WWF’s Nature-based Solutions Origination Platform has selected five landscapes to begin its pilot program. The Platform is designed to leverage both public and private finance to create large landscape conservation projects that exemplify the principles that maximize the benefits for climate, people and nature. They are to become the living examples of our supply and demand side blueprints for high-quality, high-integrity carbon interventions. 
Aerial photo of Orinoco River and tepui of Colombia. © Day's Edge Productions
Adapting to a Changing World and Bringing an End to the Fossil Fuel Era
Until climate solutions are scaled globally, it's vital that we simultaneously support and protect communities and ecosystems that are feeling the brunt of climate disruption. WWF works with communities, governments, businesses and humanitarian and development organizations to help people adapt to climate change in harmony with nature. To do this we:
- Partner with communities to design and implement locally-led adaptation solutions that utilize and reduce pressure on nature.
- Integrate environmental considerations into disaster recovery, reconstruction, and risk reduction.
- Engage the private sector to invest in solutions that build resilience for communities and the ecosystems they rely on.
- Test innovative ideas that help wildlife in a changing climate through on-the-ground projects in places we work.

Marcene Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Climate Change at WWF spoke with We Don’t Have Time at SXSW about the impact of climate finance and how climate finance is already impacting American households.
If you’re interested in our work, we encourage you to follow us on We Don’t Have Time and check out our website. Let us know what you think and what you want to see from us next in the comments.
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7 w
Your article is very good, please protect the living .
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28 w
Really beautiful place. I like the practical content you share. Life has interesting diversity and we can experience more https://coreballgame.io
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86 w
Great to have you with us hoping to learn from you.
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86 w
"Together we are the solution". Welcome to the world of climate change solutions.
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87 w
You're very much welcome on the platform
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87 w
Wow
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87 w
Welcome
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87 w
Welcome to the community of Hope
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87 w
Welcome to We Don't Have Time family, I like great insights in this article looking forward to learning more from you and the solutions.
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87 w
A great pleasure to have you here
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87 w
This is great. Joining of wwfus with We don't have time community is surely going to strengthen the efforts for conservation of biodiversity,
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87 w
So glad to have you here 💚 WWF is such an emblematic organisation for the environmental movement!
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87 w
Welcome!
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87 w
Great to have WWFUS in the We Don't Have Time community! I'd be interested to learn more about the illegal logging initiative or the RTC partnership