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Photo: B. Christensen/Azote
- Time to connect climate change and biodiversity
Centre joins in on call for better integration.
Thomas Elmqvist is a professor in Natural resource management. His research is focused on ecosystem dynamics, land use change, natural disturbances and components of resilience including the role of social institutions.
Centre researcher Thomas Elmqvist joined scientific experts and political Leaders from around the world in a call for a need to better integrate climate change and biodiversity. - Now is the time for connection between UN conventions to be made and to ‘´bring biodiversity meaningfully into the discussion on climate change, Elmqvist said at an open session hosted by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI) at the UNFCCC COP15. Roadmap on biodiversityICLEI announced its intent to launch a new initiative global mobilisation activity called ´the Local Government Biodiversity Roadmap´ that will advocate for the adoption of a comprehensive Plan of Action for Local Biodiversity Action at the UN CBD COP10 set to take place in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010. During the session, a panel comprised of scientific experts, practitioners and local leaders addressed key biodiversity and climate linkages. The panelists recognised the multiple linkages between environmental issues such as biodiversity protection, climate change, urbanization, and poverty alleviation. They emphasized the need to recognise that earth is not a mechanism; but indeed a very complex system that humans tamper with on a daily basis. Biodiversity and climate change are inextricably linked and this connection need to be reinforced on an international and at local level.
Suggested paths for improvement included relevant capacity building, environmental education, community?based decision?making and direct investment in the environment.
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