Washington, D.C. — As the U.N. conference on biodiversity (COP15) begins this week, a new column from the Center for American Progress calls on participating nations to do what those at the recent U.N. climate change conference failed to accomplish: acknowledge the link between the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis and take bold action to address the two in tandem.
Despite the efforts of some negotiators, the final text of last month’s COP27 didn’t include significant new language on the biodiversity crisis beyond what was already in last year’s Glasgow text. But nature loss, like climate change, is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Scientists stress that the climate and biodiversity crises must be addressed together if either are to be solved.
“Linking the two crises will set up governments to take bold action at the highest levels to address them,” said Anne Christianson, director of International Climate Policy at CAP and co-author of the column.
While the United States is not a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, it should still send high-level leaders to COP15 to show the nation’s commitment to tackling the intertwined climate and nature crises at home.
The Biden administration can also use executive action to accelerate the pace of conservation, protect biodiversity, and improve climate change outcomes.
Read the column: “Nations Must Link Climate Change and Biodiversity Crises, or Risk Failing To Address Both” by Anne Christianson, Sally Hardin, Miriam Goldstein, and Jenny Rowland-Shea
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].