BULAWAYO, Oct 11 (IPS) – A holistic approach and transformative systems change are needed to tackle biodiversity loss and put the world on a sustainable path, according to an assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). recommended.
The world is facing an interconnected crisis of unprecedented biodiversity loss, food insecurity and environmental degradation that can no longer be addressed with fragmented and piecemeal solutions, a forthcoming IPBES assessment will reveal, calling instead for holistic approaches.
IPBES will launch two scientific assessments, the Nexus Review And Transformative change assessment, in December 2024, recommending holistic solutions to address the interconnected and converging crises of biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change, as ‘siled’ approaches prove unsuccessful.
Furthermore, the assessment calls for urgent “transformative changes” by intergovernmental agencies, private sector organizations and civil society to respond to the nature and climate crises.
IPBES is an intergovernmental organization established to improve the science-policy interface in biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The historic 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report shows that achieving global sustainability goals for 2030 and beyond will require fundamental, system-wide reorganization, including new paradigms.
IPBES head of communications Rob Spaull said the assessments provide the best scientific evidence for critical action to tackle biodiversity loss available to policymakers.
“This is the most ambitious scientific report we have done because these five issues are themselves complex and this assessment brings them together,” Spaull said this week at a media briefing ahead of the report.
The Nexus Review identifies important trade-offs and opportunities within the multidimensional polycrisis: to what extent do efforts to address one crisis contribute to others? And which policy options and actions would deliver the greatest benefits across the board? The report will provide an unprecedented range of answers to move decisions and actions beyond single-issue silos. The report was drawn up over three years by 101 experts in 42 countries.
“Global crises of biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change are often mutually reinforcing when addressed separately and therefore must be addressed together,” Paula Harrison, co-chair of the IPBES Nexus Assessment report, said in a statement.
“The Nexus Review is some of the most ambitious work ever undertaken by the IPBES community and offers an unprecedented range of response options to move decisions and actions beyond the silos of individual issues.”
The Transformative change assessment looks at the root causes of biodiversity loss, determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the 2050 Biodiversity Vision. The report also assesses the determinants of transformative change, the biggest obstacles it faces and how it is happening. It also identifies viable options to promote, accelerate and sustain transformative change towards a sustainable world, and the steps to realize global visions for transformative change.
A statement from IPBES noted that the Transformative change The report will provide decision makers, including policy makers, with “the best available evidence, analysis and options for actions that lead to transformative change and build an understanding of the implications of the root causes of biodiversity loss for achieving the Climate Agreement of Paris and the global biodiversity goals.” under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals and other key international development goals.”
The 11th session of the IPBES plenary, the first ever to be held in Africa from December 10 to 16, will discuss and approve the reports. IPBES represents nearly 150 governments and aims to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Spaull said the assessments underscore the need to find holistic solutions to tackle biodiversity loss.
“The evaluations look at how trying to fix one part of the system has unintended consequences for other parts of the system; for example, in many countries there is a strong push to plant trees to mitigate climate change and sequester carbon. and with (unintended) consequences for biodiversity. For example, planting one type of tree can be harmful to the ecology or water supply and also have health implications, so it means a balance needs to be struck.”
He said the reports also emphasize responding to issues simultaneously, which also emphasizes achieving the SDGs, which must be addressed systematically rather than in silos.
“For example, in recent decades there has been a large increase in the volume of food production and an increase in calorie production that has benefited global health, but on the other hand this has resulted in biodiversity loss as mass food production has stopped . through intensive agricultural practices that deplete water and cause massive gas emissions,” said Spaull.
Furthermore, IPBES has influenced and shaped national and international biodiversity policy by providing policy makers with clear, science-based recommendations and helping governments make informed decisions about nature conservation, sustainable development and environmental protection.
Through its assessments, IPBES highlights the interconnectedness of biodiversity, human health, economic stability and environmental sustainability, making it a crucial player in the global response to the biodiversity crisis.
Spaull noted that the IPBES work has played an important role in informing progress assessments of the SDGs related to biodiversity.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service