Climate and biodiversity, which are significant global societal and environmental issues, have been at the heart of debates. 2021 has been a pivotal year for these issues, marked by the gathering of world leaders at COP15 and COP26. COPs (Conferences Of the Parties) are the supreme body of international conventions and bring together all member states each year.
The goal: to discuss, exchange, and develop solutions to combat global warming and the decline of biodiversity. This is a long-term effort that must take into account many issues, such as economics, politics, and societal concerns.
Issues more topical than ever
Despite the challenges faced, these conferences remain essential. Indeed, the environment is more than ever at the forefront of concerns. Global warming and the loss of biodiversity are accelerating at an alarming rate, especially since they are intimately linked.
They share common causes, such as our overconsumption of resources (fossil fuels, food resources, etc.) and the fragmentation of natural habitats for human needs. Climate and biodiversity are closely linked. Human activities, however, have turned this virtuous circle into a vicious one, difficult to break.
The vicious cycle of climate change and biodiversity loss
Numerous situations demonstrate the influence that climate change and biodiversity loss have on one another. For example, land artificialization and the disappearance of biodiversity impact the capture of greenhouse gases (GHG) and the rise in temperatures. This increase in temperature, in turn, damages ecosystems, preventing them from fulfilling their role as carbon sinks.
On the other hand, extreme events, such as droughts, threaten fauna and flora and increase the risk of wildfires. Rising temperatures also cause various problems, such as coral mortality in oceans, the movement of animals and plants seeking favorable conditions for their development, and the risk of invasion by invasive alien species.
The importance of reducing emissions
To break this vicious cycle, changes are essential. Among the main actions is the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Identified as a major driver of global warming, GHGs and their reduction must be a goal that mobilizes us all.
This highlights the importance of the COPs and the actions and commitments that result from them. These international conferences are an opportunity for debate, negotiation, and progress. They demonstrate an awareness of the existence of environmental crises, even if the results are generally not commensurate with the urgency of the situation.
The origins of COPs
It was in 1992, during the Earth Summit in Rio, that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was born. This convention acknowledged the existence of human-induced climate change and called on industrialized countries to combat this phenomenon.
It is from this convention that all COPs have emerged, with the first taking place in Berlin in 1995. Composed of all the “parties” (countries), the COP is the supreme body of the Convention. It meets annually at global conferences where decisions are taken to meet the objectives of combating climate change.
A Climate COP and a Biodiversity COP?
The two international meetings are currently independent, but the link between climate and biodiversity should not be underestimated. This crucial point was highlighted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020, held from September 3 to 11, 2021, in Marseille.
The Climate COP
The Climate COP is, of course, the better-known of the two. Held annually in a different country, it led to the Paris Agreement in 2015 (at COP21 in France), ratified by 196 “Parties.” This was the first agreement to set clearly defined goals for reducing greenhouse gases. The goal was to limit global warming below 2°C (or even 1.5°C) compared to pre-industrial levels, with each country committing to efforts to reduce its GHG emissions.
The Biodiversity COP
The Biodiversity COP, on the other hand, is organised every two years. Less well-known than its bigger sibling, it remains important and brings together many stakeholders: heads of state, scientists, environmental protection associations, businesses, etc.
It is based on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified in 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio. Its objectives include the conservation of biodiversity, more sustainable use of environments and species, and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources.
COP15 and COP26: Decisions and Disappointment
2021 was a significant year, as COP15 on biodiversity took place in Kunming, China, and COP26 on climate took place in Glasgow, Scotland.
A look back at COP15
This 15th edition brought together 196 signatory states og the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Its purpose was to set a roadmap and global framework for protecting biodiversity and ecosystems by 2030.
The latest report from the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) highlights the major crisis facing biodiversity. We are now talking about a 6th mass extinction of species, mainly due to the activities and pressures that humanity exerts on nature. Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate.
The Kunming COP focused on various issues, including the protection of 30% of land and seas by 2030, reducing pollution and GHG emissions, and financing and supporting developing countries.
One of the main themes was also the monitoring of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. This follow-up is essential since it is important to note that none of the objectives of COP10 (Aichi targets) were met, primarily because these targets were not mandatory, even if they were legally binding.
A look back at COP26
COP26 took place in Glasgow. Its main issues were raising climate ambition (long-term strategy of countries), finalizing the implementation rules of the Paris Agreement, mobilizing climate finance, and strengthening the action agenda.
The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, which presents the current state of the climate and new global and regional climate projections, is far from reassuring. It reminds us that we are not on track to stay below 2°C of global warming compared to pre-industrial levels, a long-term goal of the Paris Agreement (COP21).
Final Words
We are in a vulnerable climate situation with a change that is accelerating, and it is urgent to protect biodiversity and to do what is necessary to stabilize the climate.
