According to two new reports by the IPBES, immediate action to address the biodiversity crisis could unlock massive business and innovation opportunities, generating $10 trillion and supporting 395 million jobs worldwide by 2030.
Conversely, delaying action on biodiversity goals by even a decade could double the cost of acting now and delaying action on climate change adds at least $500 billion per year in additional costs.
The reports emphasise that without urgent and joint action to address interdependent global challenges such as biodiversity loss, water scarcity, food security, human health, and climate change, we will not achieve a just and sustainable world where all life can thrive.
The EU has made several contributions to the IPBES 11th Plenary, including publishing a new report on “transformative change for a sustainable future” analysing the challenges and opportunities of over 300 groundbreaking projects.
'Nexus' report
The Nexus assessment report tackles the intertwined global crises of biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, health risks and climate change, showing how these all interact, cascade and compound each other, making efforts to address them separately ineffective and counterproductive.
It shows that scenarios that focus on addressing the challenges in just one sector – such as food, biodiversity or climate change in isolation – fix one problem while creating another one, seriously limiting the chances of meeting other Sustainable Development Goals.
An integrated approach will therefore help the global community reach the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The report presents more than 70 response options to address these interlinked issues. Examples include: restoring carbon-rich ecosystems, such as forests, soils, and mangroves; managing biodiversity to reduce the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans; improving integrated landscape and seascape management; urban nature-based solutions; sustainable healthy diets; and supporting Indigenous food systems.
Notably, the report finds that addressing all these crises together makes economic sense. More than half of global GDP – over $50 trillion of annual economic activity around the world – is dependent on nature. The unaccounted-for costs of current approaches to economic activity are at least $10-25 trillion per year.
'Transformative Change' report
The Transformative Change assessment report focuses on the underlying causes of the biodiversity crisis, the drivers of change and available options.
The underlying causes of biodiversity loss identified by the report are the disconnection of people from nature and domination over nature and other people; the inequitable concentration of power and wealth; and the prioritisation of short-term individual and material gains.
The report calls for a “whole-of-society” approach to addressing the biodiversity crisis, meaning that there is a role for every person and organisation to create transformative change at multiple levels.
It rightfully recognises the vital role of Indigenous People and Local Communities in safeguarding nature. What’s more, the authors analysed hundreds of case studies from around the world and found that transformative initiatives can yield positive results in just a decade.
Background
Often described as the ‘IPCC for Biodiversity’, the IPBES is the independent international body that provides decision-makers with the most comprehensive scientific information on nature-related issues. The European Union is a major donor to the IPBES, contributing €9 million to its Trust Fund (2019-2028) from the EU’s research and innovation budget.
In addition, through its research programmes, the EU funds impactful biodiversity research projects that deliver results relevant to IPBES. These include coordination actions that fill critical knowledge gaps and deliver policy-relevant outcomes to support the European Green Deal and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Additionally, recognising the importance of science cooperation for biodiversity, Horizon Europe will invest over €1 billion in this important research area. The results of this research will inform future IPBES assessments.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the landmark Nature Restoration Law aim to restore Europe’s biodiversity, with research and innovation playing an important role in achieving this goal. Together with other EU legislation, they support the EU’s international commitments under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, where 196 countries agreed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
More Information
Details
- Publication date
- 18 December 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
