IPBES and IPCC call to prioritize solutions benefiting both biodiversity and climate

On 10 June 2021, scientist and leading experts from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched a joint report calling to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises, and their combined social impacts together.

Biodiversity loss and climate change are the result of human activities and mutually reinforce each other. They threaten nature, human lives, livelihoods and well-being around the world. To successfully resolve these two crises, future policies must therefore address their synergies instead of tackling them independently.

IPBES and IPCC identify key options for nature-based solutions:

• Stopping the loss and degradation of carbon – and species – rich ecosystems on land and in the ocean;
• Restoring carbon – and species – rich ecosystems;
• Increasing agroecology and forestry practices;
• Enhancing and better-targeting conservation actions, coordinated with and supported by strong climate adaptation and innovation;
• Eliminating subsidies that support local and national activities harmful to biodiversity.

The report also highlights the fact that treating climate, biodiversity and human society as couple systems will require transformative change in governance of socio-ecological systems as well to help create climate and biodiversity resilient development pathways.