Why in news?

The Assessment Report on the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food, Health & Climate Change – known as the Nexus Report – has been released by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The report provides decision-makers with the most comprehensive scientific assessment of the interconnections across five ‘nexus elements’. It explores over 60 response options to maximize co-benefits across these five nexus elements.

What’s in today’s article?

• The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
• Key highlights of the NEXUS Report

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

• About
  • IPBES, akin to the IPCC for climate change, evaluates existing scientific knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystems to assess their current state.
  • Established in 2012, it informs several international environmental agreements like the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, and the Cartagena Protocol.
  • Just like IPCC, IPBES too does not produce new science. It only evaluates the existing knowledge to make consolidated assessments.
• Landmark Report by IPBES
  • First Report (2019)
    • Highlighted threats to global biodiversity, revealing that one million species face extinction due to human-induced ecosystem changes.
    • It reported that 75% of Earth’s land, 66% of marine areas, and 85% of wetlands had been significantly altered or lost.
  • Impact
    • This report became the foundation for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022), which set 23 targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2030.
    • Key 2030 goals include: Protecting 30% of land, freshwater, and oceans; Restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems.

Key highlights of the NEXUS Report

• Strong interconnections between global challenges
  • The report highlights the strong interconnections between global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, hunger, water scarcity, and health risks.
  • It emphasizes that tackling these issues separately is not only ineffective but also counterproductive, as they interact and compound each other.
  • It noted that current economic activities significantly harm biodiversity, climate, food production, water, and health, with unaccounted costs estimated at $10-25 trillion annually.
• Risks of Isolated Approaches
  • Food Production: Scaling up to tackle hunger can increase pressure on land, water, and biodiversity.
  • Climate Change Focus: Exclusive efforts could negatively affect food security and biodiversity.
  • Conservation: Protecting land and oceans may restrict options for food security and climate change mitigation.
• Call for Synergistic Approaches
  • The report advocates for integrated strategies that deliver benefits across all five challenges, identifying over 70 response options, including:
    • Restoring carbon-rich ecosystems like forests, soils, and mangroves.
    • Managing biodiversity to reduce zoonotic disease risks.
    • Promoting sustainable healthy diets.
    • Employing nature-based solutions.
• Sustainable Production and Consumption
• Efforts must prioritize actions that balance sustainable production and consumption with ecosystem conservation, pollution reduction, and climate change mitigation, ensuring broad and lasting benefits.
• Economic Impact of Biodiversity Loss
  • The report highlights that over half of the global GDP, approximately $58 trillion annually, depends on nature.
  • Biodiversity degradation reduces productivity and economic output.
  • Despite this, current economic systems incentivize activities that harm biodiversity, contributing to its decline by 2–6% every decade.
• Principles of Transformative Change
  • The report outlines four core principles for a new approach:
    • Equity and Justice: Fair distribution of resources and opportunities.
    • Pluralism and Inclusion: Embracing diverse perspectives.
    • Respectful Human-Nature Relationships: Building reciprocal and sustainable interactions.
    • Adaptive Learning and Action: Continuously evolving strategies based on feedback and experience.
• Urgency and Benefits of Immediate Action
  • Delaying action on biodiversity conservation could double costs within a decade.
  • However, immediate implementation of sustainable, nature-positive models could unlock $10 trillion in business opportunities and create 400 million jobs by 2030.