Ten days after the Nature COP in Cali, Colombia, high-level negotiations began at the annual climate summit, or COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. during nature The summit concluded with some victories and some frustrations over financial ambitions. climate The summit now presents another test, with countries having to agree on new fiscal targets. One is to ensure that countries on the front lines can address the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.
We have now entered the second week of COP29, and key topics will be discussed on the 11th.Day Conference Day: Link Between climate change and biodiversity. The nature and climate emergencies are deeply intertwined, and although each summit was held just two days apart, they are too often discussed separately. Solving problems in silos is a missed opportunity to adopt a holistic approach to our planet’s crises.
So here are five reasons why we must tackle the climate and biodiversity crises together.
1. Climate change is a major cause of biodiversity loss
Due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since mid-19Day During 2000, the Earth has already warmed by an average of +1.2°C. This leads to more extreme weather with detrimental effects on nature. According to the latest IPCC reportChanges in rainfall patterns caused by global warming have caused a quarter of the world’s natural landscapes to disappear.Now facing a longer fire season“. Extreme heat in the ocean is causing coral bleaching on a massive scale. Since 1998, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest, has been six The most recent mass bleaching event this year affected 91% of coral reefs.
What’s worse is that recently UN emissions report We reveal that we are on our way to a +2.8°C world, with increasingly severe and unpredictable consequences for humans and ecosystems. Despite these grim predictions, biodiversity hotspots are already at high risk. In 2019, IPBES (IPCC’s Biodiversity Response Unit) exposed Worldwide, one million species are at risk of extinction, the highest number in human history. Global warming will undoubtedly put wildlife and ecosystems at risk.
Simply put, climate change poses a threat to biodiversity loss. research It highlights that this could be the greatest pressure on biodiversity by 2070.
2. Biodiversity loss is worsening the effects of climate change.
The link between biodiversity and climate change is two-way. The climate crisis is leading to the decline of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, while biodiversity loss exacerbates the impacts of the climate crisis. Conversely, protecting biodiversity contributes to climate mitigation measures. This shows that protecting and restoring ecosystems is a way to alleviate the climate crisis.
First, biodiversity is an important component of carbon sequestration. For example, healthy soils and peatlands, rich marine ecosystems, and diverse forests allow for greater carbon storage. These ecosystems also play an important role in absorbing heat, helping to mitigate climate change.
But the role of a healthy ecosystem does not end there. This is because it also improves resilience to natural disasters. For example, coral reefs and mangroves protect coastlines from extreme events in marine environments, while forested areas protect against landslides in terrestrial environments.
Therefore, protecting biodiversity must be central to tackling the climate crisis.
3. The cause of both crises is common.
Colonial extractive systems that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are the same ones that cause ecological destruction, and all have detrimental effects on people’s rights and livelihoods.
For example, oil exploitation is rooted in a legacy of land seizures, forced displacement, and violations of indigenous rights. human rights violations. Likewise, industrial agriculture, a major cause of natural loss, has expanded dramatically because: Global Land Grab That is, taking land from indigenous peoples and rural communities to make way for monocultures and livestock farming.
Not only these industries It is violating human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples, while at the same time accelerating climate change and driving natural destruction. Fossil fuel projects – account for most of anthropogenic CO2 Emissions – Degrading natural habitats and polluting soil, air and water. Large-scale deforestation – the second cause of CO2 Emissions – are harming ecosystems and threatening the survival of species.
The climate and biodiversity crises have common drivers that have contributed to the accumulation of profits and wealth in the North in systems dependent on land and labor exploitation in many parts of the South. Solving these problems therefore requires putting justice at the center of our actions.
4. A holistic approach is essential.
Currently, climate change and biodiversity are discussed at separate tables in international negotiations. Still, scientists stress Addressing both crises requires recognizing the synergies between them.
Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss together means addressing their root causes. Colonialism has been around for a long time. role It accelerates the destruction of nature and worsens the effects of climate change. One example takes us to the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season that devastated communities and ecosystems in Canada. This wasn’t the only fire. reinforced Not only because of the climate crisis amplified by the Canadian government’s colonial fire practices and laws that forced Indigenous communities from their lands; dispose Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.
By acting from a position of justice, we can address colonialism, the main driver of these two crises, and develop holistic mitigation measures based on human rights, Indigenous sovereignty, and community leadership.
5. Justice is at the heart of this global crisis
For two weeks, Nature COP16 for Biodiversity and Climate has highlighted the urgency of action to protect and restore ecosystems and limit greenhouse gas emissions. As we have emphasized, to successfully address these multiple emergencies we must act together. What we need is an integrated and systematic approach that links biodiversity conservation and restoration with climate justice.
At COP 29, governments must go beyond recognizing nature’s essential role in mitigation and adaptation, and also acknowledge that nature conservation is no substitute for phasing out fossil fuels. They should also remind us that we are part of nature, through cultural and spiritual connections and relationships with plants and animals.
Protecting nature and fighting climate change must go hand in hand. That is the only way to achieve climate justice.
