Just 10 days after the Nature COP was held in Cali, Colombia, high-level negotiations have begun at the annual climate summit or COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. on the other hand, nature The summit ended with some victories and complaints about financial ambitions. climate The summit now presents a new challenge for countries to agree on new fiscal targets. The goal is to ensure that countries on the front lines are able to cope with the worsening effects of the climate crisis.
COP29 has entered its second week, and important topics are about to be discussed at the 11th Conference of the Parties.th Conference day: Link Between climate change and biodiversity. The nature and climate emergencies are deeply intertwined and too often discussed separately, although the summits were held days apart. Addressing them in silos is a missed opportunity to take a holistic approach to the planet’s crises.
So here are five reasons why we need to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis together.
1. Climate change is a major driver of biodiversity loss
Due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since mid-1919,th The Earth has already warmed by an average of +1.2°C this century. This will lead to even more extreme weather events, which will have a negative impact on nature. According to the latest information IPCC reporta quarter of the world’s natural landscapes have been destroyed due to changes in rainfall patterns due to global warming.We face a longer fire season”. Extreme heat in the ocean is causing coral bleaching on a disastrous scale. Since 1998, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest, Six Massive bleaching events are occurring, the most recent of which occurred this year, affecting 91% of coral reefs.
Even worse, the recent United Nations Emissions Report We are on the path to a +2.8°C world, revealing increasingly severe and unpredictable consequences for humans and ecosystems. Despite this bleak prediction, biodiversity hotspots are already at high risk. In 2019, IPBES (IPCC biodiversity counterpart) revealed One million species around the world are at risk of extinction, the highest number in human history. Global warming definitely puts wildlife and ecosystems at risk.
In other words, climate change acts as a threat multiplier for biodiversity loss; the study It highlights that it could become the greatest pressure on biodiversity by 2070.
2. Biodiversity loss is exacerbating the effects of climate change
The relationship between biodiversity and climate change is bidirectional. The climate crisis leads to the degradation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, and biodiversity loss exacerbates the effects of the climate crisis. Conversely, biodiversity protection contributes to climate mitigation measures. This shows that ecosystem protection and restoration is a way to alleviate the climate crisis.
First, biodiversity is a key component of carbon sequestration. For example, healthy soils and peatlands, rich marine ecosystems, and diverse forests allow us to store more carbon. These ecosystems also play an important role in absorbing heat, contributing to the mitigation of climate change.
But healthy ecosystems don’t stop there; they also improve resilience to natural disasters. For example, coral reefs and mangroves protect coastlines from extreme events in marine environments, and forested areas protect against landslides in terrestrial environments.
Therefore, biodiversity protection must be central to addressing the climate crisis.
3. Both crises have common causes.
Colonial mining systems that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are the same ones that cause the destruction of ecosystems, all of which have detrimental effects on people’s rights and livelihoods.
For example, oil development can lead to land expropriation, forced relocation, violation of indigenous rights, human rights violation. Similarly, industrial agriculture, a major driver of nature loss, has expanded dramatically due to: global land grab – In other words, stripping indigenous peoples and rural communities of their land and giving way to monoculture and livestock farming.
Not only in these industries, They violate human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples, while accelerating climate change and promoting the destruction of nature. Fossil fuel projects – account for the majority of anthropogenic CO2 Emissions – Degrading natural habitats and polluting soil, air, and water. Large-scale deforestation – the second cause of CO2 Emissions – have a negative impact on ecosystems and threaten the survival of species.
The climate and biodiversity crises have common drivers that have contributed to the accumulation of profits and wealth in the Global North in systems dependent on the exploitation of land and labor in many parts of the Global South. To address them, therefore, we must put justice at the center of our actions.
4. A holistic approach is essential
Climate change and biodiversity are currently being discussed at separate tables in international negotiations. Still, scientists stress To resolve the two crises, we need to recognize the synergies between the two.
Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss together means we need to address their root causes. Colonialism has long been role It is accelerating the destruction of nature and exacerbating the effects of climate change. One example takes us back to the 2023 season of record wildfires that devastated Canadian communities and ecosystems. That wasn’t the only fire strengthened Not just due to the climate crisis; amplified Colonial-era fire practices and Canadian government legislation forced Indigenous communities from their land and lands. Discard Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.
By acting from a place of justice, we can ensure that we address colonialism, a key driver of these two crises, and develop comprehensive mitigation solutions based on human rights, indigenous sovereignty, and community leadership. It will be.
5. Justice is at the heart of a global crisis
The two-week Nature COP16 on Biodiversity and Climate COP29 highlighted the urgency of action to protect and restore ecosystems and limit greenhouse gas emissions. As we have emphasized, successfully addressing these multiple emergencies will require us to work together. What we need is a unified, systemic approach that links biodiversity conservation and restoration with climate justice.
At COP 29, governments must not only recognize the important role of nature in mitigation and adaptation, but also recognize that conservation is not a substitute for phasing out fossil fuels. We must also remember that we ourselves are part of nature, through our cultural and spiritual connections and relationships with plants and animals.
Conservation of nature and the fight against climate change must go hand in hand. That’s the only way we can achieve climate justice.
