Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the most pressing issues facing the planet; their urgency is reflected in international discourse. Although these issues are linked, there has been limited action in international policy to reflect the connection.
What are the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises?
Climate change and biodiversity loss are heavily interlinked. The extraction and burning of fossil fuels is the major driver of climate change, the impacts of which are felt by nature and biodiversity [1]. For example, rising ocean temperatures are a significant driver of coral bleaching episodes [2]. Equally, the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems by humans exacerbates climate change. For example, deforestation leads to more CO2 in the atmosphere, which contributes to further climate change [3]. Ultimately, this negative feedback loop renders both the climate crisis and biodiversity loss consequences of one another [1].
Shifting attitudes to the climate and biodiversity crises in international policy
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – the Rio Conventions – were established at the Earth Summit in 1992 to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification [4]. However, at the time, climate change and biodiversity loss were largely viewed as two separate and unrelated issues, which impeded the development of policy that addressed both issues together [5]. As such, climate and biodiversity policy diverged, with biodiversity loss perceived as a national, rather than international, issue [5].
Over time, research into the synergy between biodiversity loss and the climate crisis has prompted international policy to reflect the interlinkages between the two issues [5].
How have the UNFCCC and CBD worked to tackle both crises?
International policy has slowly recognised the importance of these interlinked crises; the 2015 Paris Agreement states the importance of conserving biodiversity, and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework emphasise the need to protect biodiversity whilst simultaneously contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation [5, 6].
Moreover, intergovernmental organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have in recent years co-led workshops. In 2021, their workshop concluded that conserving biodiversity and limiting global warming are mutually supporting targets that are key for sustainability [5, 7]. At COP28, the UNFCCC and CBD issued a joint statement on integrating actions to tackle these challenges, and in January 2024 published a statement of intent on how to achieve these joint actions [8].
These two statements are the most thorough plan to date for joint action between the UNFCCC and CBD [8]. However, they hinge upon voluntary partnerships and lack a formal process for planning and implementation, thus limiting the full realisation of the goals [8].
The necessity of tackling the twin crises in a year of COPs
Although climate change and biodiversity loss are closely linked, no policy yet addresses both issues together [8]. To achieve the goals of both the Paris Agreement and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, more integration between the CBD and UNFCCC is necessary [8].
COP29 (the climate COP) and COP16 (the nature COP) provide opportunities to create a formal structure to facilitate collaboration on climate and nature. They also aim to ensure the actions taken for one crisis don’t exacerbate the other – such as replacing grasslands with forests, which can sequester carbon but are detrimental to the grassland-adapted wildlife that once lived there [1, 8, 9].
To solve these crises, working with nature such as using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can help mitigate and adapt to climate change whilst also helping to protect biodiversity [10]. The upcoming COPs will be an important opportunity to discuss NbS and, more broadly, how the world is going to approach these interconnected crises.
Conclusion
Biodiversity loss and climate change are inextricably linked; just as climate change drives biodiversity loss, the loss of vital ecosystems exacerbates climate change. This is all mediated by human activities. These issues have largely been approached independently of one another. But now, given the greater understanding and recognition of their interconnectedness, there is an urgent need for policy to take an integrated approach. With three COPs on the horizon, 2024 could and should be the year that the policy narrative changes.
