Harvey Locke on COP26 and why “nature needs half”

Explore: A Canadian Geographic podcast

The UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow is being described as a critical moment in human history, as our ability to reverse global warming reaches a point of no return.

Harvey Locke is in Glasgow, leading the charge against biodiversity loss, and linking it firmly to climate change. As a leader of the "Nature Needs Half" movement, Locke and a growing number of experts believe that the way to reverse both climate change and biodiversity loss is to set aside half of the world's natural places, and let nature be nature. Locke explains why this is both possible and necessary, and discusses his own grassroots experiences as the co-founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

Based in Banff, Alta., Locke has dedicated his life to conserving the world’s wild spaces. He is also the Chair of the Beyond Aichi Targets Task Force and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.