Synergies Between Biodiversity and Climate Policy Frameworks – A Series of Thematic Papers
With scientific evidence, case studies, guidance for nature-based solutions, and existing policy opportunities, these thematic papers have everything negotiators, policy-makers and practitioners need to pursue more synergistic responses to address the co-existing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Despite growing recognition that climate change and biodiversity loss are highly interlinked, policy efforts addressing both crises in an integrated manner remain limited. There is a need to make better use of existing opportunities to translate synergies effectively into policies and implementation. The upcoming Conferences of the Parties under the biodiversity and climate conventions provide further opportunities for this, particularly in the 2024 triple Rio-COP year.
How can synergies between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agendas be used to their full effect? Which trade-offs with respect to integrated policy design and implementation need to be considered? On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) collaborated with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), to develop a series of six thematic papers to enhance the understanding and policy uptake of synergistic approaches. This includes legal agreements, recent scientific findings, and practical implementation aspects related to, for example, nature-based solutions.
The series was first published in 2022 and is now being gradually updated. Building on the results of CBD COP 15 and UNFCCC COP 27 and 28, Thematic paper 1 was revised in September 2024. The paper focuses on legal agreements under the CBD and UNFCCC, and was updated by the IKI project "Support project for implementation instruments of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement (BioClime)" in cooperation with IISD.
The paper series’ overall objective is to enhance the understanding and policy uptake of such synergies, including through nature-based solutions, their enabling conditions, and the support mechanisms required for joint implementation and mainstreaming of biodiversity and climate change policies at the national and local levels. Especially in view of the upcoming COPs, the aim is to inspire negotiators, policy makers and practitioners to advocate for strategies and solutions that combine the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity with climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Download these Thematic Papers from adaptationcommunity.net:
- Linkages and Synergies Between International Instruments on Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Linkages Between Biodiversity and Climate Change and the Role of Science-Policy-Practice Interfaces for Ensuring Coherent Policies and Actions
- Nature-Based Solutions: An Approach for Joint Implementation of Climate and Biodiversity Commitments
- Good Governance for Integrated Climate and Biodiversity Policy-Making
- From National to Local Implementation: A Collaborative, Multi-Level Effort to Achieve Joint Climate and Biodiversity Goals
- Delivering Financing for Joint Biodiversity and Climate Solutions
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