IPBES Calls for Comprehensive Solutions, Radical Change in Addressing Biodiversity Loss – Global Issues
BULAWAYO, Oct 11 (IPS) – A holistic approach and systemic change are needed to address the loss of biodiversity and put the world on a sustainable path, an assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has recommended.
The world is facing an interconnected problem of unprecedented biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and environmental degradation that can no longer be addressed with piecemeal and small-scale solutions, the upcoming IPBES assessment will show, calling for holistic approaches instead.
IPBES will launch two scientific experiments, i Nexus test again Testing Change Change, in December 2024, recommending comprehensive solutions to address the interconnected and evolving challenges of biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change because “integrated” approaches do not work.’
In addition, this assessment calls for an urgent “adaptive change” of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations to respond to the critical situation and climate.
IPBES is an intergovernmental organization established to improve the link between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The landmark 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report found that meeting global sustainability goals for 2030 and beyond requires a fundamental, system-wide restructuring, including new paradigms.
IPBES Head of Communications, Rob Spaull, said the assessment represents the best scientific evidence for serious measures to tackle biodiversity loss available to policy makers.
“This is the most ambitious scientific report we’ve ever done because these five issues alone are complex and this test brings them together,” Spaull said at a press conference ahead of the report’s launch this week.
I Nexus test identifies important trade-offs and opportunities between multi-dimensional polycrisis: To what extent do efforts to address one crisis add to others? And what policy options and actions would produce the greatest benefits across the board? The report will provide an unprecedented range of responses to drive decisions and actions outside of single-issue silos. The report was issued over three years by 101 experts from 42 countries.
“The world’s problems in biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change are often severe when tackled separately and therefore must be tackled together,” said Paula Harrison, co-chair of the IPBES Nexus Assessment report, in a statement.
“I Nexus test is among the most important work ever undertaken by the IPBES community, offering an unprecedented range of response options to move decisions and actions beyond a single issue. “
I Testing Change Change looks at the root causes of biodiversity loss, determinants of climate change and options for achieving the 2050 Biodiversity Vision. The report also examines the indicators of change, the major obstacles it faces and how it is happening. It also identifies viable options for promoting, accelerating and sustaining the transition to a sustainable world and measures to achieve global visions of sustainable change.
The IPBES statement notes that i A revolutionary change The report will provide decision makers, including policy makers, “with the best available evidence, analysis and options for actions leading to dynamic change and build an understanding of the impacts of the root causes of biodiversity loss in the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims for global biodiversity. under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Sustainable Development Goals and other major international development goals.”
The 11th session of the IPBES Plenary, the first to be held in Africa from December 10 to 16, will discuss and receive reports. IPBES represents nearly 150 governments and seeks to strengthen science-policy linkages to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Spaull said the assessment underscores the need to find comprehensive solutions to address biodiversity loss.
“The assessment looks at how if you try to fix one part of the system you have unintended consequences in other parts of the system; for example, in many countries there is a huge push to plant trees to reduce climate change and carbon sequestration. and (unintended) consequences for biodiversity, for example, planting one type of tree it can harm the environment or the water supply and affect health, so it means there is a need to find a balance.”
He said that these reports also reveal the answers to the issues at the same time, which is also emphasized to meet the SDGs, which must be dealt with in a systematic way and not in silos.
“For example, there has been a great increase in the amount of food production in the last decades and an increase in caloric production that has helped the health of the world but on the other hand, this has led to the loss of biodiversity because the mass production of food has been carried out by using intensive agricultural methods that deplete water and which emits a large amount of gas,” said Spaull.
In addition, IPBES has influenced and shaped national and international biodiversity policy by providing policymakers with clear, science-based recommendations and helping governments make informed decisions about conservation, sustainable development, and environmental protection.
Through its assessment, IPBES highlights the connections between biodiversity, human health, economic stability, and environmental sustainability, making it a key player in the global response to the biodiversity crisis.
Spaull noted that the work of IPBES has been invaluable in informing the evaluation of progress on the SDGs related to biodiversity.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
