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24th Sep 2024
Biodiversity and climate change are deeply interconnected. Healthy ecosystems—such as forests, wetlands, and oceans—play a vital role in regulating the Earth’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide and maintaining the balance of atmospheric gases. These ecosystems act as natural carbon sinks, reducing greenhouse gas concentrations and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Conversely, climate change accelerates biodiversity loss by altering ecosystems, driving species extinction, and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
Preserving biodiversity is therefore not only about protecting species but also about maintaining the resilience of ecosystems that are essential for human survival. Without urgent action, the continued degradation of biodiversity will exacerbate climate impacts, leading to further destabilization of ecosystems and communities worldwide. This is where the CBD plays a pivotal role, offering a framework for global cooperation in addressing the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
The CBD operates through a series of Conferences of the Parties (COP), where member nations negotiate and agree on action plans to achieve its objectives. The most recent CBD COPs have centered around the need to set ambitious global biodiversity targets, akin to the Paris Agreement’s goals on climate change. However, unlike the Paris Agreement, which has garnered widespread attention and momentum, the CBD has not yet achieved the same level of commitment and implementation.
The ongoing biodiversity crisis demands stronger global action. Current estimates suggest that around 1 million species are at risk of extinction due to human activities. This loss not only threatens ecological balance but also undermines the ecosystem services that support agriculture, water purification, and climate regulation. Passing strong biodiversity targets under the CBD is essential to halt these alarming trends and to set the world on a path toward sustainable coexistence with nature.
Ecosystem Resilience and Climate Adaptation: Biodiversity-rich ecosystems are more resilient to climate impacts, making them essential for climate adaptation strategies. Mangrove forests, for instance, protect coastal communities from rising sea levels and storm surges, while diverse agricultural systems are better able to withstand climate-induced pests and diseases. Implementing CBD commitments will help restore ecosystems, enabling them to better cope with the changing climate.
Nature-Based Solutions for Mitigation: Protecting and restoring biodiversity offers one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to mitigate climate change. Nature-based solutions, such as reforestation, wetland restoration, and sustainable land management, can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide while providing other co-benefits like water security and food resilience. A robust CBD framework can facilitate the widespread adoption of these solutions, contributing directly to climate goals.
Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice: Indigenous communities often serve as stewards of some of the world’s most biodiverse regions, yet they are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of both biodiversity loss and climate change. The CBD includes provisions to protect Indigenous rights and ensure equitable sharing of resources, making it a key tool for promoting environmental justice. By passing stronger CBD commitments, governments can enhance the role of Indigenous peoples in conservation efforts, ensuring that their knowledge and rights are integral to global biodiversity and climate strategies.
Global Coordination and Accountability: The CBD offers a platform for international cooperation on biodiversity conservation, encouraging nations to work together to tackle global environmental challenges. However, without binding commitments and robust enforcement mechanisms, progress has been slow. To truly make an impact, the CBD must evolve to include stronger accountability measures, ensuring that countries adhere to the biodiversity targets they set. This is critical not only for biodiversity conservation but also for reinforcing the link between biodiversity and climate goals.
As the world moves closer to key tipping points—both in terms of biodiversity loss and climate change—time is running out for decisive action. The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, set to be finalized at the next CBD COP, offers a crucial opportunity to reset global biodiversity goals. This framework is expected to include ambitious targets such as protecting 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030 (the "30x30" initiative), restoring degraded ecosystems, and halting species extinction.
Achieving these goals will require not only political will but also substantial financial investments, technological innovation, and collaboration across sectors. Governments, businesses, and civil society must work together to implement biodiversity-friendly policies and practices, from reforming agricultural systems to reducing deforestation and promoting sustainable development.
While global attention often focuses on climate agreements like the Paris Accord, it is vital that the CBD be given equal prominence in international discussions. The urgency of the biodiversity crisis is no less than that of climate change, and in many ways, the two are inseparable. Failing to address one will almost certainly doom efforts to solve the other.
A strengthened CBD can provide the framework for tackling both crises simultaneously, offering a pathway to a sustainable future. By passing and implementing ambitious biodiversity targets, we can not only protect the planet’s rich array of life but also enhance the resilience of our ecosystems in the face of a changing climate.
