OP29 on Climate Change whose motto is “In solidarity for a green world” began a week after the conclusion of COP16 on biodiversity whose motto was “Peace with Nature.” Given the climate and biodiversity crises and the lagging action, it is important to find the synergies between these conventions. Both COPs are ‘intermediate’ and ‘implementation’ COPs with finance and planning at their heart. We must highlight the need to achieve coordinated action taking into consideration the link between biodiversity, climate, justice, and peace as interconnected pillars for survival.
According to the Living Planet Report we have lost 73% of our biodiversity in the last 50 years, while we see our world heat to the 1.5 degrees we had committed to staying under in the Paris Agreement. We are increasingly seeing the impacts of the triple planetary crisis, evidenced by having surpassed 25 of the 35 vital planetary signs tracked by the Stockholm Resilience Center. Impacts are already being felt by losing ecosystems such as coral reefs, forest, and across agriculture sectors seeing decreasing yields, transport sector facing issues in moving cargo through drying rivers, and floods leaving lasting infrastructure damage. The driving forces and impacts are the result of negative loops of biodiversity loss deepening inequality and conflicts over diminishing resources; it is often vulnerable communities that see these impacts at devastating scales.
Both COPs have financing and action high on the agenda; while COP16 was unable to reach an agreement on funding from developed to developing nations retaining a gap of $19 billion to the originally committed amount. COP29 will be facing similar challenges in sourcing financing for implementation. The action we need to address both biodiversity and climate change will need to be coordinated to augment the little funding we can raise. These will need to be centered on ecosystems restoration and include Indigenous Peoples and local communities; and most importantly actions and investments that consider justice, fairness, and peace. These solutions often take the shape of nature and community engaged based solutions, which, if implemented correctly can drive biodiversity as well as socioeconomic benefits. If we are to build a healthy nature-based future we cannot afford to continue to coordinate, plan, and finance separately. We need scalable, bankable solutions built on the same inclusive and just foundations. What we cannot afford is to implement climate solutions that leave us on a desolate, unfunctional, conflict–ridden planet.
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Coordinate COP16 and COP29 agendas to survive
Photo by Adrian Corgo Andsager via Pexels.
November 21, 2024
We must highlight the need to achieve coordinated action taking into consideration the link between biodiversity, climate, justice, and peace as interconnected pillars for survival, writes Dr. Ligia Collado–Vides.
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OP29 on Climate Change whose motto is “In solidarity for a green world” began a week after the conclusion of COP16 on biodiversity whose motto was “Peace with Nature.” Given the climate and biodiversity crises and the lagging action, it is important to find the synergies between these conventions. Both COPs are ‘intermediate’ and ‘implementation’ COPs with finance and planning at their heart. We must highlight the need to achieve coordinated action taking into consideration the link between biodiversity, climate, justice, and peace as interconnected pillars for survival.
According to the Living Planet Report we have lost 73% of our biodiversity in the last 50 years, while we see our world heat to the 1.5 degrees we had committed to staying under in the Paris Agreement. We are increasingly seeing the impacts of the triple planetary crisis, evidenced by having surpassed 25 of the 35 vital planetary signs tracked by the Stockholm Resilience Center. Impacts are already being felt by losing ecosystems such as coral reefs, forest, and across agriculture sectors seeing decreasing yields, transport sector facing issues in moving cargo through drying rivers, and floods leaving lasting infrastructure damage. The driving forces and impacts are the result of negative loops of biodiversity loss deepening inequality and conflicts over diminishing resources; it is often vulnerable communities that see these impacts at devastating scales.
Both COPs have financing and action high on the agenda; while COP16 was unable to reach an agreement on funding from developed to developing nations retaining a gap of $19 billion to the originally committed amount. COP29 will be facing similar challenges in sourcing financing for implementation. The action we need to address both biodiversity and climate change will need to be coordinated to augment the little funding we can raise. These will need to be centered on ecosystems restoration and include Indigenous Peoples and local communities; and most importantly actions and investments that consider justice, fairness, and peace. These solutions often take the shape of nature and community engaged based solutions, which, if implemented correctly can drive biodiversity as well as socioeconomic benefits. If we are to build a healthy nature-based future we cannot afford to continue to coordinate, plan, and finance separately. We need scalable, bankable solutions built on the same inclusive and just foundations. What we cannot afford is to implement climate solutions that leave us on a desolate, unfunctional, conflict–ridden planet.
