COP 15 — How is Biodiversity Loss connected to Climate Change?
Media has been buzzing with conversations around the need for COP26 to succeed in delivering a realistic climate action plan for quite some time now. It is safe to say that the whispers of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 conference have indeed been drowned by the press for COP26. Nevertheless, COP15 was an important milestone that put forward the Kunming Declaration with ongoing progress for the post 2020-global biodiversity framework.
How does biodiversity loss affect ocean health?
Nature provides biodiversity and ecosystem services that are an essential foundation for human survival and wellbeing. This foundation has been severely damaged due to human beings’ one-sided relationship with nature. The most impactful direct driver of change in nature are the changes in land and sea use.[1] However, climate change could replace land usage as the primary cause if we continue to fail to implement the transformative changes we need.[2]
The intricate relationship between biodiversity and climate change has become increasingly apparent. Ocean warming and acidification has nearly halved the live coral cover on reefs over the past 150 years.[1] Other severe impacts include 33% of fish stock are classified as overexploited and over 55% of ocean area has been subjected to industrial fishing.[1] Our ecosystems must be conserved, restored, and managed if we are to adapt to the impacts of degradation while also enhancing biodiversity.[2]
“If we walk together, we will be able to overcome any obstacles”
Huang Runqiu, COP15 President
What is CBD? And what is COP15?
The CBD came into force on 29 December 1993, with three main goals:
· Promote the conservation of biodiversity
· Sustainable use of its components, and
· Just sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of the Convention. Two protocols (Cartagena and Nagoya) have been adopted under this Convention, with key turning points including the adoption of Aichi Biodiversity Targets 2011–2020. It’s worth noting that the Aichi Targets were not met by 2020. This heightens the importance of an integrated approach to mitigating biodiversity loss and tackling climate change simultaneously. We cannot achieve one without the other.
UN Biodiversity Conference Part I, took place between 11–15 October 2021 in Kunming, China. The meeting’s theme was “Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”. The second part will take place between 28 April — 8 May 2022. The purpose of COP15 is to accelerate sustainable development and, halt and reverse biodiversity loss. It seeks to rebuild a harmonious relationship between nature and people. The development of a post-2020 global biodiversity framework is hoped to be the roadmap of this regeneration.
A future for all: Biodiversity, Health and Climate
During the conference, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary, CBD, highlighted the interconnectivity between biodiversity, climate, and health emergencies where she noted COVID-19 as an important reminder of these connections. She emphasized the importance of getting on a path to recovery by 2030.[3]
A representative from Kuwait, for the ASIA-PACIFIC GROUP, recalled how lockdowns during the pandemic allowed nature and biodiversity “to regroup to a certain extent”.[3] This highlighted “the need to develop synergies if we are to achieve common biodiversity goals.”
What are the key takeaways from the conference?
The adoption of the Kunming Declaration took place during the high-level segment of COP 15 Part 1 on 13 October 2021. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the commitments undertaken by ministers and heads of delegations:
· The development, adoption, and implementation of an effective global biodiversity framework
· Work with relevant bodies to phase out or reform subsidies and other incentives that are harmful to biodiversity
· Work with respective governments to promote the importance of biodiversity into policies, regulations, and poverty reduction strategies
· Improve area-based conservation and management which includes recognising the rights and ensuring participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs)
· Increase ecosystem-based approaches to ensure benefits across social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development
· Step up actions around coastal and marine ecosystems; and
· Ensure post-pandemic recovery addresses biodiversity
“If we humans do not fail nature, nature will not fail us”
Xi Jinping, President of China
Future Ambitions:
Business-as-usual is not an option when trying to sustain ecosystems, as well as human survival. As Rachel Wynberg of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, put it — “we must recognise the changing nature of our world which creates a permanent need for adjustment”.[3]
The Kunming Declaration recognises that biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation and desertification, ocean degradation, and pollution share many underlying drivers of change. It also notes the call from many countries for a 30x30 target. However, as Qu Xing, Deputy Director-General, UNESCO, notes that while protecting 30% of the planet by 2030 is important, that does not mean we destroy the remaining 70%.[3]
The CBD alone cannot change the status quo, and the influential UNFCCC COP 26 was another opportunity to sync and strengthen our climate goals. We must leap for bolder actions that include every section of society if we are to change this uncomfortable reality.
References:
[1] Population and Development Review, 2019. IPBES, 2019. Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. 45(3), pp.680–681.
[2] EASAC, 2021. Key Messages from European Science Academies for UNFCCC COP26 and CBD COP15. European Academies Science Advisory Council, pp.1–19.
[3] IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. 2021. UN Biodiversity Conference Part I. [online] Available at: <https://enb.iisd.org/UN-Biodiversity-Conference-CBD-COP15>.
[4] Future Earth, The Earth League, WCRP (2021). 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2021. Stockholm https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.563953
