Fragmented Governance Endangers Biodiversity, Climate, and Human Systems, Warns IPBES Report
A new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights the dangers of fragmented governance across biodiversity, climate change, food, water, and health systems. The “Nexus Assessment” emphasizes the interconnectedness of these crises and warns that addressing one issue in isolation risks compounding others.
Prof Pam McElwee, co-chair of the report and a professor at Rutgers University, told a press briefing that biodiversity, climate, food, water and health should not be treated as “single-issue crises”.
She further underscored the urgency of a unified approach: “These are interlinked crises. They are compounding each other. They are making things worse, and the current business as usual approach is not only failing to tackle the drivers of these problems, [but] in some cases, we are wasting money because we’re duplicating policies, when in fact, we could be treating them as issues that need to be dealt with together.”
The assessment identifies critical challenges, including the dominance of economic systems that prioritize short-term gains at the expense of biodiversity and equity. While biodiversity loss is accelerating due to unsustainable practices, the report also outlines pathways to reverse these trends. The report, which contains over 70 recommendations for addressing these interconnected issues in a holistic manner, include shifting to sustainable healthy diets, investing in biodiversity-positive activities, and reforming financial systems to close the $300 billion to $1 trillion annual funding gap for nature protection.
The Nexus Assessment report calls for integrated governance to align global actions, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes for nature and humanity.
Read the full summary for policymakers on the IPBES website.
