COP15 to COP26: Planet screams for urgent help
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on stage during for a meeting, as part of the World Leaders' Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 2, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The stability of our climate is dependent on a healthy planet with diverse and resilient ecosystems.
- A holistic approach is integral in achieving a net-zero carbon emission and addressing species extinction.
The ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) bringing together more than 120 leaders and nations in Glasgow to address the climate crisis and the unprecedented race to net-zero carbon emissions should not overshadow the recent COP15 held in Kunming, China.
The two conferences are crucial in building momentum and opportunities to generate transformative change to tackle the interlinked biodiversity loss and the threat of climate change.
Biodiversity and climate underpin each other; neither can be resolved without addressing the other. Policies refer to and treat the two separately. The benefit of synergising them in decision- and policymaking is emphasised in the recent joint report of the intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The two COPs happening back-to-back is a great opportunity for the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNF CCC) to work together at the national level and harmonise the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and the Nationally Determined Contributions. They are a clear justification that the issues are inseparable.
It is imperative that we swiftly stop global warming and develop concrete actions compatible with climate and biodiversity commitments. Reuters Foundation research shows climate change as a serious driver of ecosystem degradation and species loss, which result in exacerbating climate change.
Key messages
The stability of our climate is dependent on a healthy planet with diverse and resilient ecosystems. Therefore, one top priority of COP26 should be the urgency to intensify the management and conservation of our natural resources, including the terrestrial and marine ecosystem.
One of the key messages expected from COP26 is the importance of restoring and protecting nature as a solution to carbon emissions and achievement of biodiversity goals. Besides, nature-based solutions (NbS) should be embedded as vital to climate action.
State agencies and other institutions should aim at defining and clarifying applicable nature-based solutions and prioritise funding for it. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has described NbS as the actions required to protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems.
A holistic approach is integral in achieving a net-zero carbon emission and addressing species extinction. UN-WCMC 2020 report roots for maximising synergies between biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Governments need to set up systems that map out the trade-offs across different sectors.
We can save ourselves from the twin crises only if we declare a ceasefire now on our recklessless that has caused a global catastrophe. The global community is desperate for change and is counting on the world leaders to prioritise mother nature. No achievement is too heroic than to save life on earth.
Ms Kerichu is a biodiversity conservationist. [email protected]
