Biofuels: Environmental Consequences and Interactions with Changing Land Use: Chapter 16

The International SCOPE Biofuels Project gratefully acknowledges support from the United Nations Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, UNEP, the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future, the Biogeochemistry & Biocomplexity Initiative at Cornell University, an endowment provided to Cornell University by David R. Atkinson, and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy

The global biodiversity framework needs a robust action agenda

Bending the curve of biodiversity loss is a key priority for humanity and requires urgent action. The rapid loss of biological diversity threatens human lives, livelihoods and well-being globally,and is reinforcing, and being reinforced by, climate breakdown2. In December 2022, the 15thConference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held inMontreal. It is essential that an ambitious, specific and measurable Global BiodiversityFramework is agreed at this COP. However, governments alone are unlikely to reverse negativetrends in biodiversity. We suggest that a Biodiversity Action Agenda that mobilizes nature recovery actions from across society -- including businesses, investors, civil society groups, and local communities -- should be included as a complement to governmental efforts. If governments can agree on a strong Framework, an Action Agenda can create productive links between multilateral and transnational actions, for example by leveraging capacities from multiple actors, implementing goals, demonstrating solutions, and spurring national governments towards greater ambition. If, however, governments fail to agree on an ambitious Framework,or the subsequent implementation of the agreement suffers from political backlash or adismantling of national biodiversity policies, the Action Agenda can help sustain action and build momentum