The recent COP15 conference on biological diversity has adopted a declaration for countries to act urgently on biodiversity protection in a welcome move that builds hope for living harmoniously with nature and preserving ecosystems that are essential for development and human health.
The Kunming draft biodiversity framework includes four goals for 2050 such as more financial resources to reduce the threats to biodiversity.
Key elements include phasing out and redirecting harmful subsidies and recognising the full participation of local communities and indigenous peoples in helping monitor and review progress. The meeting saw the creation of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, with China pledging around USD 230 million for the fund supporting biodiversity in developing countries.
Biodiversity is also a topic at the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, which has seen the announcement of a global commitment to halt deforestation amid the growing realisation that forests are highly efficient and cost-effective removers and sequesters of carbon from the atmosphere.
Protect biodiversity or else…
Policymakers are now recognising that restoring, protecting and preserving our natural capital (ecosystem goods and services) is critical. At the same time, technology is enabling new solutions, ranging from smarter agriculture to flood protection, that safeguard livelihoods and prosperity.
We believe our ecosystem dependence cannot be underestimated: Some 50% of the world’s GDP – worth USD 44 trillion – depends highly or moderately on nature or its services. Key systemic risks are very much around natural capital. Examples include climate change, but also biodiversity loss and pandemics. We see these as interconnected crises.
We believe environmental investment strategies can help address climate change, assigning capital to a growth market that for decades will require trillions of dollars to restore, protect and preserve Earth’s resources and achieve the transition to a sustainable, net-zero and inclusive economy. For investors, they represent a way to be part of the solution.
Watch our video
Watch this video with Robert-Alexandre Poujade, biodiversity lead in the Sustainability Centre, in which he discusses the COP15 results and the next steps by BNP Paribas Asset Management to help address biodiversity loss.
Investors seeking opportunities in the area of biodiversity loss related solutions can find well-measured, diverse and transparent thematic investment strategies such those developed by BNP Paribas Asset Management, whose current thinking is detailed in its biodiversity positioning paper.
Also read:
- No more decades for dithering: It is crunch time to push climate policy
- COP26: Why net-zero is key to meeting the Paris Agreement
- Data and tools to measure biodiversity dependencies and impacts (video)
