{"id":55205,"date":"2024-11-20T15:40:14","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T20:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=55205"},"modified":"2024-11-20T15:40:41","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T20:40:41","slug":"spotlight-on-nature-protection-at-cop-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/55205\/spotlight-on-nature-protection-at-cop-29\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on nature protection at COP 29"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Preserved Forest Area in the Realidade District, Humait\u00e1, Amazonas
\u00a9 Greenpeace Brasil<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Just ten days after Nature COP took place in Cali, Colombia, high-level negotiations kicked off at the annual climate summit or COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. While the Nature <\/em>summit closed with some wins and some frustration on finance ambition, the climate <\/em>summit now presents another test for countries to agree on a new finance goal \u2013 one to ensure countries on the frontlines can address the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n

We\u2019re now well into the second week of COP29, and a key theme is about to be discussed on the 11th<\/sup> day of the conference: the links <\/em>between climate change and biodiversity. The nature and climate emergencies are deeply intertwined, and their respective summits happened a couple of days apart, but they are too often discussed separately. Addressing them in silos is a missed opportunity to adopt a holistic approach to our planetary crisis.<\/p>\n\n

Hence, here are 5 reasons why we need to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises together:<\/p>\n\n

1. Climate change is a key driver of biodiversity loss <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since the mid-19th<\/sup> century, the planet has already warmed by an average of +1.2\u00b0C. This translates into more extreme weather, with damaging impacts on nature. According to the latest IPCC report<\/a>, shifts in rainfall patterns due to global warming are causing a quarter of the world\u2019s natural landscapes to \u201cnow face longer fire seasons<\/a>\u201d. Extreme heat in oceans is resulting in coral bleaching at distressing scales. Since 1998, The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the largest in the world, has experienced six<\/a> mass bleaching events with the latest one occurring this year and affecting 91% of the reef.<\/p>\n\n

What\u2019s worse, a recent UN Emissions Report<\/a> has revealed that we are on the path to a +2.8\u00b0C world \u2013 with increasingly severe, and unpredictable consequences for humans and ecosystems. Despite this glooming prediction, biodiversity hotspots are already at high risk. In 2019, the IPBES (the IPCC\u2019s biodiversity counterpart) <\/strong>revealed<\/a> that globally, 1 million species are at risk of extinction \u2013 the highest figure in human history. A warming planet will undoubtedly put wildlife and ecosystems in peril.<\/p>\n\n

In short, climate change acts as a threat multiplier for biodiversity loss, and research<\/a> underlines that it could become the greatest pressure on biodiversity by 2070.<\/p>\n\n

2. Biodiversity loss is worsening the impacts of climate change<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The link between biodiversity and climate change is bidirectional. While the climate crisis leads to the degradation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, biodiversity loss exacerbates the impacts of the climate crisis. Conversely, protecting biodiversity contributes to climate mitigation measures. This demonstrates that protecting and restoring ecosystems is a way to mitigate the climate crisis. <\/p>\n\n

First, biodiversity is a crucial component of carbon sequestration. For example, healthy soils and peatlands, rich marine ecosystems and diverse forests allow for greater carbon storage. These ecosystems also play a crucial role in absorbing heat, thus helping to mitigate climate change.<\/p>\n\n

But the role of healthy ecosystems does not end there, as they also improve resilience to natural disasters. For example, coral reefs and mangroves protect coastlines from extreme events in marine environments, while forested areas provide protection against landslides in terrestrial environments.<\/p>\n\n

The protection of biodiversity must therefore be central to face the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n

3. Both crises have common causes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The colonial, extractive system that releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is the same that drives the destruction of ecosystems \u2013 all with harmful impacts on the rights and livelihoods of people. <\/p>\n\n

The exploitation of oil for instance, is rooted in a legacy of land appropriation, forced displacement, infringements on Indigenous rights, and human rights abuses<\/a>. Similarly, industrial agriculture, a key driver of nature loss, has dramatically expanded because of global land grabbing<\/a> \u2013 in other words, dispossessing Indigenous and rural communities of their lands to make way for monocultures and animal farming. <\/p>\n\n

Not only are these industries <\/em>violating human rights and Indigenous rights, they are simultaneously accelerating climate change and driving nature destruction. Fossil fuel projects \u2013 which accounts for the vast majority of anthropogenic CO2<\/sub> emissions \u2013 are degrading natural habitats, and contaminating the soil, air and water. Large-scale deforestation \u2013 the second contributor to CO2<\/sub> emissions \u2013 is harming ecosystems and threatening species\u2019 survival. <\/p>\n\n

The climate and biodiversity crises have common drivers that have contributed to the accumulation of profit and wealth in the Global North, in a system that is relying on the exploitation of land and labour in many places of the Global South. Thus, tackling them requires placing justice at the centre of our actions.<\/p>\n\n

4. A holistic approach is essential<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Currently, climate change and biodiversity are discussed at separate tables in international negotiations. Yet, scientists stress<\/a> the need to recognize the synergies between the two crises in order to solve them both. <\/p>\n\n

Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss together means that we need to address their root causes. Colonialism has long played a role<\/a> in driving nature destruction and exacerbating the effects of climate change. One example takes us back to the record 2023 wildfire season that ravaged Canada\u2019s communities and ecosystems. The fires were not only intensified<\/a> by the climate crisis, but also amplified<\/a> by the colonial fire practices and laws of the Canadian government, which have displacedIndigenous communities from their lands and discarding<\/a> Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.  <\/p>\n\n

Acting from a place of justice will ensure we address colonialism as a key driver of these two crises, and develop holistic mitigation measures based on human rights, Indigenous sovereignty and the leadership of local communities. <\/p>\n\n

5. Justice is at the centre of these planetary crises<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

In the span of 2 weeks, Nature COP16 for biodiversity and climate COP29 have highlighted the urgency of action to protect and restore ecosystems, and limit greenhouse gas emissions. As we\u2019ve emphasized, to successfully address these multiple emergencies, we have to tackle them together. What we need is a unifying, systemic approach that connects biodiversity conservation and restoration with climate justice.<\/p>\n\n

At COP 29, governments must go beyond the recognition of  the essential role of nature in mitigation and adaptation, but also acknowledge that preserving nature isn\u2019t a substitute for fossil fuel phase out. They must also remind themselves that we are a part of nature ourselves, through cultural and spiritual connections, and our relationships with the flora and fauna. <\/p>\n\n

Protecting nature and fighting climate change must go hand in hand. That\u2019s the only way climate justice can be achieved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Climate change and biodiversity loss are negatively impacting people and the planet. To successfully address these crises, we have to tackle them together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":55310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"Spotlight on nature protection at COP 29","p4_og_description":"Climate change and biodiversity loss are negatively impacting people and the planet. To successfully address these crises, we have to tackle them together.","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"not set","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23,27],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-55205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","tag-climate","tag-forests","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55205"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67747,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55205\/revisions\/67747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55205"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=55205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}