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We can't fix climate change without protecting biodiversity, says UNFCCC official
Fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity may not be exactly the same thing, but they're definitely related.
"Biodiversity and climate are deeply intertwined. It will actually not be possible to solve one crisis without addressing the other," Ko Barrett, vice chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and senior adviser for climate at NOAA, says during the livestream discussion "Time for nature: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity," hosted by GZERO in partnership with Suntory.
One the one hand, she explains, climate change is accelerating biodiversity loss by increasingly disturbing marine and land ecosystems. On the other, nature offers solutions to address climate while protecting biodiversity such as green roofs to cool buildings, preserving bee populations to improve crop yields, or mangroves to store carbon.
"Biodiversity and climate change should be tackled simultaneously," Barrett adds. "Failing to do so risks leading to unintended and negative consequences for one or the other."
Learn more about this GZERO Media live discussion: https://www.gzeromedia.com/sustainability
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Biodiversity loss: Is nature-positive the new net zero?
The world has been in a climate emergency for years now. But much less attention is paid to biodiversity loss — which is a very big deal since we're on the brink of a sixth mass extinction.
On the heels of the ongoing COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada, we gathered experts from the public and private sectors to discuss the gravity of the problem and, more importantly, how to fix it. The solution lies with businesses, although it needs help from policymakers to figure out how to make money in a sustainable way that not only protects life on earth but actually reverses the course of its destruction.
Here are a few highlights from "Time for nature: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity," a livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Suntory.
Ko Barrett, vice chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and senior adviser for climate at NOAA, offers a primer on the importance of biodiversity to human life and explains why we can't solve climate change without addressing biodiversity loss simultaneously.
Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer delves into the geopolitics of biodiversity as an economic issue and identifies the three types of risk companies face from biodiversity loss.
Suntory CEO Tak Niinami gives his take on why companies should do more to coexist with nature long-term and share their know-how to reverse biodiversity destruction.
Kathleen McLaughlin, Walmart's executive VP and chief sustainability officer, shares how retailers can work not only to conserve but also protect nature with successful examples from Walmart's Project Gigaton.
Ingrid Kukuljan, head of Impact & Sustainable Investing at Federated Hermes, laments how investors have ignored nature despite the many opportunities in public markets and dismisses metrics as the big obstacle to mobilizing more money for biodiversity.
FNZ Group sustainability chief Vian Sharif addresses greenwashing related to biodiversity and admits that the financial sector is only at the beginning of its nature-positive journey.
NatureMetrics CEO Katie Critchlow explains how her company "measures nature," which many people are not aware can actually be done.
International Council on Mining and Metals CEO Rohitesh “Ro” Dhawan shares how even extractive companies can have a positive impact on biodiversity via conservation, restoration, and data, and want governments to be more ambitious on this issue.
Magali Anderson, Holcim's chief sustainability and innovation officer, says that the world's biggest cement company wants two things from COP15: a framework for corporations and a commitment to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures technical director Emily McKenzie comments on why markets are ready to take action on biodiversity and gives an update on what's cooking with the TNFD.
Anthony Watanabe, chief sustainability officer at Indorama, gives a rundown of what his company is doing on nature-positive.Watch live: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity
TODAY AT 8 AM ET: Among the many challenges stemming from climate change: natural ecosystems and habitats are being destroyed.
Recognition of the link between business sustainability and a healthy, living planet has motivated businesses to incorporate nature into decision-making. But the private sector needs help – from policymakers, scientists, and communities – to measure impact and devise sustainable solutions.
In our live digital event on December 14, Tak Niinami, CEO, Suntory Holdings, will be joined by Eurasia Group & GZERO Media president Ian Bremmer, experts from Eurasia Group’s climate team, private and public leaders, scientists, and other experts on the world’s nature and biodiversity to address this challenge and chart a path towards reversing nature loss.
Time for nature: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity
Wednesday, Dec 14 2022 | 8 am EST / 10 pm JST
Register to attend and receive the playback after the livestream concludes.
Speakers
- Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, Holcim Technology
- Ko Barrett, Senior Advisor for Climate, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
- Katie Critchlow, CEO, NatureMetrics
- Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO, International Council on Mining and Metals
- Ingrid Kukuljan, Head of Impact & Sustainable Investing, Federated Hermes
- Eva Mayerhofer, Head of Environment Policy Unit, European Investment Bank
- Kathleen McLaughlin, EVP and Chief Sustainability Officer, Walmart Inc & President, Walmart Foundation
- Emily McKenzie, Technical Director, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
- Tak Niinami, CEO, Suntory Holdings
- Vian Sharif, Head of Sustainability, FNZ Group
- Shari Friedman, Managing Director, Climate & Sustainability, Eurasia Group (moderator)
- Franck Gbaguidi, Senior Analyst, Energy, Climate & Resources, Eurasia Group (moderator)
The livestream is part of the Sustainability Leaders Council, in partnership with Suntory Holdings, Fubon Financial, Gund Investment LLC, Indorama Ventures, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Sumitomo Corporation, Taiwan Mobile, Unison Capital, the Asia Business Council, and the International Council on Mining and Metals.
Asia will lose land as the planet warms, says IPCC's Ko Barrett
Last August, a landmark IPCC report underscored the urgency of the climate crisis — with big implications for Asia, the region most at risk. Ko Barret, vice president at the IPCC, says Asia should especially watch out for a combination of sea level rise above the global average and a lot more rain than usual that'll together result in shorelines receding along the Mekong delta.
Barrett spoke during the first of a two-part Sustainability Leaders Summit livestream conversation sponsored by Suntory. Watch here.