Tackling the dual crises of climate and nature

World leaders must seize a crucial opportunity to develop an integrated approach to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, according to scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and York University. Failure to do so could result in efforts to address one crisis inadvertently hindering progress on the other.

A paper from the international conservation charity ZSL and researchers at York University, titled “The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement need a joint work program for climate, nature, and people,” outlines how a unified program between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) could be established.

Nature and climate crises are intrinsically linked

The paper emphasizes the necessity of this joint program, highlighting the challenges it must address and offering recommendations for successful implementation. Such a political tool is deemed essential to meet international commitments under both the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

“We urgently need a global approach that addresses the nature and climate crises together – because they are intrinsically connected,” said co-author Nathalie Pettorelli, a researcher at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology. 

“The UNFCCC and CBD are incredible platforms for providing the evidence to, and guiding the way through the changes we need, but higher levels of integration between the biodiversity and climate change agendas are needed to plug implementation gaps.”

Stabilize the climate to restore nature

Pettorelli noted that the upcoming Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC and CBD present a clear policy window for the two conventions to introduce a formal governance structure that brings together ideas, people, organizations and processes necessary for joining the dots on how to both stabilize our climate and recover our nature.

Later this year, world leaders will convene for two global conventions to separately address climate change and biodiversity loss. In October, the CBD will meet in Columbia for the 16th United Nations Biodiversity conference (COP16). Following this, the UNFCCC will meet in Azerbaijan for the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference (COP29) in November.

Bold and transformative action is needed

Nathalie emphasized the importance of this opportunity: “With the closely related policy agendas of the upcoming UNFCCC and CBD’s COPs, negotiators have a key opportunity to take coordinated, bold and transformative action to deliver a new, more integrated and coherent approach to addressing the entwined nature and climate crises.”

According to Nathalie, the urgency is such that both conventions need to work together now, and take advantage of the many potential synergies we highlighted between climate change and biodiversity policies to change humanity’s course towards a sustainable future.

Harmony between humans and nature

At COP16, government representatives will review the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, which aims for humanity to live in harmony with nature by 2050. 

Goals include halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Discussions at COP29 will be critical for progress towards the Paris Agreement’s objective of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“The world is currently at a crossroads,” said co-author Idil Boran, a researcher at York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. “World leaders have signed international treaties that commit them to take action to address these two crises – but there is currently a massive gap in the tools available to ensure this action is unified.” 

Addressing the dual crises 

Boran said a program is needed to fill these gaps – identifying areas where climate actions may harm biodiversity, providing clear recommendations, and developing methods to monitor progress on shared goals.

Without this program, actions to address one crisis might create setbacks for the other, noted Boran. For instance, replacing natural grasslands with forests might help capture carbon dioxide but would harm the ecosystems and wildlife that previously thrived there.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are emphasized as effective strategies that address both climate change and biodiversity loss while benefiting people. 

For example, restoring mangroves helps with carbon storage, protects endangered species like the Bengal tiger and the Philippine cockatoo, and provides resources for local communities.

Funding imbalance for climate and nature 

The paper also calls for reallocating resources to address the funding imbalance between climate change and biodiversity loss efforts. 

Pettorelli highlighted the broader need for nature to be central to decision-making, stressing that functioning ecosystems are vital for addressing rapid climate change and essential aspects of human life, such as food security and clean water access. 

“We need these to be recognized and conservation to receive the resources needed for it to be part of the solution towards tackling climate change and championing human well-being,” she said.

Science should guide our decisions 

From restoring vast areas of mangrove forests to advocating for urban rewilding to protect against climate change impacts, this call is part of ZSL’s global efforts to push for and implement urgent actions to build a better future for people and the planet. ZSL believes that nature can recover and that conservation driven by science is the most effective approach. 

The experts advocate for science to guide all global environmental and biodiversity decisions, aiming to build a healthier future for wildlife, people, and the planet.

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