What’s the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)?
This year I heard the term CBD used to describe something other than cannabis for the first time ever — The Convention on Biological Diversity.
The History:
In 1992, political leaders, diplomats, scientists, journalists, and civilians from 179 countries gathered in Brazil for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the 'Earth Summit', for the purpose of producing a new blueprint for international action on environmental and development issues that would guide international cooperation and policy.
Highlights of what came from the Earth Summit:
The conclusion that sustainable development is an attainable goal for all the people of the world, regardless of whether they were at the local, national, regional or international level.
Recognition that integrating and balancing economic, social and environmental concerns in meeting our needs is both possible and vital for sustaining human life on the planet. The conference also recognized that integrating and balancing economic, social and environmental dimensions required new perceptions of the way we produce and consume, the way we live and work, and the way we make decisions. Sadly, recognition of this fact among some of the most intelligent people in the world did nothing to translate this concept into reality in a meaningful way.
At the end of the Summit, three conventions were created:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
What is it?
The CBD is an international legally binding treaty between 196 countries to provide a global framework for action on biodiversity and address international conservation concerns, such as mass extinctions and ecosystem degradation. The CBD has three main goals: conserve biological diversity; the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity; and a fair & equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of natural resources. The CBD’s main mechanism for driving action is through incentives for conservation and sustainable use and giving developing countries the chance to apply for funding from other nations for critical biodiversity conservation projects. The COP (Conference of the Parties) for CBD operates under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to support the convention's objectives and goals.
What do they do?
They create years-long strategic plans to meet the goals of the CBD (as listed above). In 2010, parties to the CBD adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, a ten-year framework for action to safeguard biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people. 20 ambitious but realistic targets, known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, were adopted in this framework. Sadly, in September 2020, the UN’s release of the Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (GBO-5) indicated that the world failed big time on almost all the targets. The report concludes that there is still some time to halt, and potentially reverse, the loss of biodiversity but that it will require transformational shifts and massive amounts of non-negotiable financing in agriculture, energy, and more. The GBO-5 also offers lessons learned and best practices for getting on track ASAP.
COP15 & The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
Due the pandemic, COP15 (the 15th Conference of Parties under the CBD) has been postponed 3 times but is finally happening in two stages:
October 11-15 — Virtual
January 12-18 — Geneva, Switzerland
Tentative meeting for Working Groups to come together and continue to work on the Framework
April 25 - May 8 2022 — Kunming, China
Meetings will resume in-person to conclude negotiations and decide on a new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. A draft of the framework can be found here.
The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will take over the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets to create a ten-year framework for action to save biodiversity. It’s been in the works for a few years and will be fine tuned during COP15. As of now, the Framework comprises 21 targets and 10 ‘milestones’ proposed for 2030. One of these targets might sound familiar to you: the 30-by-30 target to ensure that 30% of Earth’s lands and oceans are conserved through effective, equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas.
We need a lot more from COP15 than what we’re seeing so far in the latest draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and the fact that the world failed to meet the goals and action plan set forth in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 is extremely troubling for anyone with a brain who cares about humanity.
Why is Biodiversity Important?
According to UN biodiversity chief Robert Watson, biodiversity loss is as big a threat to humans as climate change. Watson has also said that, “Biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people…are the bedrock of our food, clean water and energy. They are at the heart not only of our survival, but of our cultures, identities and enjoyment of life. “
Some of the most effective solutions to tackling climate change can be found in nature. Trees and green spaces take in carbon and improve air quality; wetlands and riverbeds act as natural flood buffers (and so much more); and peatlands and seagrass stocks are vital carbon stores. In a 2019 study, “A Global Deal for Nature”, a group of scientists wrote that protecting natural lands and biodiversity is “the cheapest and fastest alternative for addressing climate change and is not beholden to developing carbon removal technologies unlikely to be effective or to scale in the time-bound nature of the current twin crises.”
Biodiversity is deeply interconnected to climate change and the survival of the human species. If we say goodbye to nature we also say goodbye to the natural services it provides that we need to live, such as: regulating services (ex: climate regulation, pollination, mosquito control), provisioning services (food, timber, water), cultural services (educational, spiritual, recreational, aesthetic), and support services (nutrient cycling, soil formation, water cycling).
The State of Biodiversity Today
All in all… pretty bad. A 2019 UN report stated that 1 million out of the 8 million animal and plant species here on Earth are threatened with extinction due to human impact. Following the report, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published an article that (if this kinda thing interests you & doesn’t make you want to cry your eyes out for days on end) you should def read. A quote from it reads: “Biodiversity – the essential variety of life forms on Earth – continues to decline in every region of the world, significantly reducing nature’s capacity to contribute to people’s well-being. This alarming trend endangers economies, livelihoods, food security and the quality of life of people everywhere, according to four landmark science reports released today, written by more than 550 leading experts, from over 100 countries.”
In 2020, the insurance firm Swedish Re found that 1/5 of the world’s countries are at risk of ecosystem collapse due to the destruction of wildlife and their habitats. Protecting what remains is NOT an option. We need to do a ridiculous amount of work to restore and regenerate our planet in order to survive. According to a report published by the UN this past June, humanity is currently blowing through 1.6x the amount of ecological services that nature can provide us to sustainably, undermining the biodiversity we need to survive.
Wishlist for COP15
I know something will come from COP15, but I rather not set any expectations considering how many aDuLtS have let me down when it comes to taking care of our planet. Instead I’ve put together a wishlist for what I’d like to see come from COP15.
Transformative shift in the way biodiversity and the natural world are valued in our economy. I’d like externalities to be accounted for in every single decision made by all countries, governments, and industries. I would like to see an open-source tool for calculating biodiversity and nature in any and all decisions as it pertains to agriculture, trade, energy, and everything else one could think of. The natural world must be part of all economic and finance decision-making.
An end to all fossil fuel subsidies. All. Every single one of them.
Plans and commitments to protect climate activists. Yale Environment 360 reported that 227 environmental activists and protectors were MURDERED in 2020, making it the most dangerous year on record for those defending our planet. It’s important to realize that this is just the number of reported murders. However, this number only represents the murders that were reported.
Every party to agree that they will operate on the understanding that overconsumption = extinction.
An end to “fiScAL nEgOtiAtiOnS” on something as important as our planet and survival. There is no price we can put on survival, and therefore there should shy away from spending as much as we need to fix things the right way.
Integration and inclusion of human-rights built into all conservation plans. On Monday October 11, which also happened to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a coalition of 166 civil society organizations and environmentalists released an open letter saying that “environmental policy-making still too often excludes or sidelines human rights.” An excerpt below:
“We urge world leaders to ensure that all policymaking related to the environment – including the climate and biodiversity crises, ownership and use of land, water and resources, ecosystem degradation, corporate accountability and trade, among others – address human rights and the environment in an integrated manner. This would help to catalyse the transformative action that is urgently required.
Respect for, protection, promotion and fulfilment of human rights, and the protection of those who defend them, must be an essential and non-negotiable part of measures adopted in upcoming negotiations at the UN Convention of Biological Diversity, COP15, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP26. Human rights must also be central to regional and national level climate and environmental policies, such as proposed deforestation legislation in the UK, the EU and the USA, which must be further strengthened.”
Agreements on the need to shift away from industrialized agriculture to regenerative agriculture IMMEDIATELY. All contracts to the chemical input industry should be cancelled. I’d like to see a commitment to national policies from every participating nation to help their AG industry move to regenerative.
What You Can Do
If you’re reading this, odds are that you live in the United States. You might be wondering how you can get involved and be informed when there is such a lack of information on social media (in English) about COP15 that isn’t super basic and redundant. You are probably also upset and confused that the United States isn’t even one of the 196 countries involved in the CBD. I know I am.
But there’s still work we can do. Just because the U.S. isn’t part of COP doesn’t mean we won’t be affected by what comes from it this week and this coming Spring. Let’s get to work!
Complete the quick online survey from GBYN (Global Youth Biodiversity Network) here. The results of this survey will serve as a key component of the consultative process within the Youth Engagement Roadmap. The survey aims to collect the views and priorities of young people around the world about biodiversity and its future. The responses will be compiled and analyzed, and a final report will be shared on our website and other communication channels. Key messages from the results will be used to organize actions and campaigns to increase awareness and push decision-makers around the world to take youth positions on the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework into account.
Watch COP15 live or via recording.
Get familiar with local biodiversity efforts and organizations near you. VISIT biodiversity-rich ecosystems nearby if you can. 1) It’s therapeutic; 2) it’s beautiful; 3) it’ll help you feel more connected to the solutions (and the problems tbh). In New Jersey this means making trips to the NJ Pinelands, the Hackensack Meadowlands, and Liberty State Park to name a few.
Follow the following hashtags on social media:
#ForNature
#Post2020
#Post2020GBF
#COP15
#CBDCOP15
Resources
Convention on Biological Diversity: 1992 International Treaty Adoption (PDF)
Biodiversity Trends Explorer: Ahead of the 2021 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15), London’s Natural History Museum has launched the Biodiversity Trends Explorer an online tool that will allow everyone, from members of the public to policymakers, to see how the biodiversity of different regions has changed over time, and specifically how those changes are connected to the pressures that humans put on the natural world. The Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) estimates how much of an area’s natural biodiversity remains. This interactive tool is expected to receive some improvements in November 2021 so be sure to check back then.
Business Guide to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: Developed by ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) and Business for Nature in October of 2020, this business guide explains the CBD process, the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, and key issues for business at COP15. It also outlines why business engagement around the process is essential.
Agenda 21 (Earth Summit 1992): a non-binding, detailed action plan for sustainable development that came as a result of the Earth Summit. Agenda 21 included several recommendations to achieve sustainable development that can be generally be described as perfectly sensible, simple, and smart. Its recommendations ranged from new methods of education, to new ways of preserving natural resources and new ways of participating in a sustainable economy. Examples of recommendations included: “investing new and additional financial resources…to deal with global environmental problems and to accelerate sustainable development” and “encourage integrated planning at the watershed and landscape level to reduce soil loss and protect surface and groundwater resources from chemical pollution”.
How the Convention on Biological Diversity Promotes Nature & Human Well-being (April 2000)
What you need to know about the UN Biodiversity Conference (10/11/21)
Why biodiversity loss hurts humans as much as climate change (6/5/19)
Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss — UNEP Report (2/3/21)
Advocates call for a new human rights-based approach to conservation (10/12/21)
Indigenous Groups Call for Greater 'Biocultural Rights' Ahead of UN Climate Summits (10/12/21)
Final Report - The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review (2/2/21)