a season for synergy: seeking climate and biodiversity solutions

The journey from Sharm El-Sheikh to Panama City to Montreal requires traveling nearly halfway across the globe. These far-flung cities are closing out 2022 by hosting events which, at first glance, might appear quite different.

In Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, heads of state and other delegates spent long hours negotiating food security, energy policy, and innovative finance under the auspices of the COP27 for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In Panama City, Panama, IFAW and other stakeholders debated the future of ivory stockpiles and which species merit the greatest legal protection from wildlife commerce at COP19 CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). In Montreal, Canada, IFAW and other stakeholders are negotiating a comprehensive framework plus related targets and financial flows for sustainable and environmentally sound natural resource management at the COP15 United Nations Biodiversity Conference.

Despite their seemingly divergent focuses, all three conferences seek one vital goal: to ensure that life on Earth as we know it—the existence of animals, humans and plants—can and will endure for future generations.

what’s missing from the conversation about climate?

Of these three conferences, the COP27 gathering in Sharm El-Sheikh has received the most attention from the public and media. Certainly, climate urgency is real and hard to ignore. Wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and floods that were once seasonal now seem to assault our landscapes on a continuous basis. Finding ways to stabilize and adapt to Earth’s shifting climate has become a matter of life or death for many communities.

With climate dominating our conversation, do wildlife and natural ecosystems risk being overlooked?

In truth, all are inextricably linked. Climate and biodiversity are not an “either or” scenario. By tackling issues with wildlife, we are tackling issues with climate change—and in the end, that is beneficial to humans.

biodiversity is climate-forward

An often-untapped tool in our arsenal to combat climate change is preserving and protecting biodiversity—the rich and varied legacy of wild plants and animals that exist on Earth.

We know that life itself helps shape our climate. From tiny microbes to multi-ton goliaths, live organisms’ biochemical processes play a role in carbon sequestration and stabilizing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Collectively, biodiverse ecosystems remove billions of tons of CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere annually. Free-ranging elephant populations, for example, naturally clear the way to healthier forests, which in turn capture more greenhouse gases. Even tiny pollinators have an outsized impact on the health and vibrancy of an ecosystem.

solutions build on synergies

When forests are destroyed, so is natural habitat for diverse flora and fauna.

Historically, unsustainable destruction of forests traces back to the industrial revolution and the burgeoning, unchecked human demand for raw materials.

Forest destruction and damage continue virtually unchecked today, accounting for roughly 11% of global carbon emissions, a climate impact eclipsed only by the energy sector. By contrast, the upside potential is vast; healthy forests have the capacity to mitigate up to 6.5 gigatonnes of CO2 by 2030.

The United Nations has established a flagship partnership and technical knowledge base, in alignment with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, that supports healthy forests in service of climate stewardship. A related, voluntary program known as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) offers a financial incentive for participants that attain sustainable climate change mitigation.

Under REDD+, a developing country develops a multi-pronged action plan to address the spectrum of factors that influence the fate of their forests on a national level. These factors may include land tenure, governance, indigenous and local community, equity considerations and other issues. Based on measurable, concrete achievements under the plan, the country can then qualify for results-based payments.

While REDD+ has its critics, primarily due to the way it has been implemented in some cases, initiatives such as this offer a great opportunity because they recognize that biodiversity and climate solutions are not just compatible, they are synergistic. Healthy, sustainable forests support vibrant, balanced ecosystems with diverse life forms that enrich human well-being.

When implemented well, biodiverse-friendly climate strategies like those promoted by REDD+ encourage sustainable, long-term wins. With technical and financial support, participants can take essential steps toward restoring and protecting natural resources that have national and international significance.

The busy 2022 conference season underscores our many opportunities to work together to optimize outcomes. 

We can create a climate-forward future by fighting ecological disruption and restoring natural habitats that support biodiversity. Sustainable climate solutions are synergistic, creating a win-win throughout the ecosystem.

Together, we can ensure that planet Earth remains a hospitable home to animals and people.