The interactions between biodiversity and climate change and the actions required to tackle both issues simultaneously and synergistically

Authors: Galina Jönsson and Professor Andy Purvis

This briefing paper considers the relationship between the biodiversity and climate crises, the interactions between them, and why an integrated approach is essential to creating a sustainable future where people and planet can thrive.

Headlines

• Biodiversity loss and climate change are two of the biggest and most urgent threats facing human society worldwide. Human activities drive both crises, but the crises also fuel one another.
• Although many solutions benefitting biodiversity can significantly contribute to climate action, and vice versa, the two are often governed by separate policy instruments.
• An integrated approach is necessary to prioritise and implement solutions that deliver benefits for climate and nature simultaneously.
• Creating a sustainable future where people and the planet can thrive will require large-scale restoration of degraded ecosystems, protection of existing habitats and reduction of demand for natural resources, supported by policy measures that address the primary socioeconomic drivers.

Download: The interactions between biodiversity and climate change and the actions required to tackle both issues simultaneously and synergistically [PDF]