COP15, the United Nations conference on biological diversity, addresses an issue as crucial to the future of humanity as climate change. The meeting, which will run from October 11 to 15 and will be held virtually from Kunming, China, has received less attention than the COP26 climate summit, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland. But we cannot allow discussions on biodiversity to be overlooked: the two crises, climate and the loss of biological diversity, are interconnected.
The latest report from the IPCC, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, points to a series of consequences for biodiversity from the rise in global temperatures, already underway. Rising ocean levels and warming, extreme heat, changes in rainfall patterns, among other climate changes, could lead to the collapse of ecosystems and the extinction of species. This scenario will affect everyone, including businesses – which is why it is important to highlight what companies can and should do to contribute to this agenda.
This week, during COP15, the Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) is launching the publication “How Brazilian Companies Have Been Contributing to the Global Biodiversity Targets”, a result of the Business Commitment to Biodiversity, launched two years ago. It reports on the practical actions taken by companies to reverse the loss of nature and the progress made in the last two years. These include strategies such as environmental management systems and forest management, the development of innovative tools and services that improve agricultural practices and land use, and the engagement of suppliers in the conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecosystem services.
We also sent our contributions to COP15 to the Brazilian government in a letter addressed to Itamaraty sent on August 19, the result of a workshop held by the Council and the Brazilian Foundation for Sustainable Development (FBDS), which was attended by companies, academia and the government, with the aim of discussing the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which will be the main topic of discussion at the conference. The letter to Itamaraty consolidated the contributions received regarding the four objectives to be achieved by 2050 and a series of goals for 2030 contained in the new Global Framework.
The first objective is to improve the integrity of all natural ecosystems, with the rate of extinctions expected to be reduced by at least 10 times. The second objective is to value, maintain and enhance nature’s contributions to people through conservation and sustainable use of its resources; the third is to share benefits from the use of genetic resources fairly and equitably. The fourth is to fill the gap in financing and other means of implementation needed to achieve the Convention’s Vision 2050.
We are also proud to be part of the Business for Nature (BfN) movement calling for urgent action to protect biodiversity. At the official opening of COP15, more than 1,000 companies with revenues of US$4.7 trillion, including 25 Brazilian companies – such as Eletrobras, Vale, Votorantim Cimentos, Natura and Suzano – are calling on governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss over the next decade. The movement includes an open letter to heads of state signed by the CEOs of leading companies and featured in the British newspaper The Guardian. The CEOs who signed the letter include representatives of the Brazilian companies Suzano and Natura & Co, as well as H&M, Holcim, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts, Rabobank, Grupo Sintesa, Unilever, among others.
The business sector recognizes its responsibility to reject the mentality business as usual (“business as usual”), to transform their business models and call on governments to be more ambitious at COP15. Furthermore, at CEBDS we believe that Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) represent a path of opportunities for Brazil, the most biodiverse country in the world. We have the potential to be the largest provider of emissions reductions by reducing deforestation and forest degradation, and to sequester carbon through restoration and reforestation. As with the climate issue, we need to step up the pace: we have no time to waste.
By Marina Grossi
Article originally published in Estadão
