Biodiversity and Solutions Day at COP27

The 16th and 17th November at COP27, UNFCCC, Sharm el-Sheikh was Biodiversity Day and Solutions Day respectively.

Where, on biodiversity day, sessions were conducted as a link between climate change and biodiversity, the urgency for bringing forth integrated responses, and action was taken to date to address climate change & biodiversity loss.

On the contrary, Solutions Day was another day for negotiations, but this time several wells, notable solutions with a prime focus on urban development and electric vehicles were proposed.

On November 16,

Bruno Oberle, Director General of the IUCN, expressed deep concern because of the limited response by the parties to the request made last year in Glasgow for strengthening these NDCs. Parties were urged to respond urgently to the latest science with deeper and rapid reductions in heat-trapping gas emissions. This is necessary to keep the 1.5 degrees target alive.

The IUCN, Egyptian COP27 presidency, and Germany launched (ENACT), Enhancing Nature-based Solutions for an Accelerated Climate Transformation, it is an initiative designed to aim toward global efforts to address land & ecosystem degradation, climate change, & biodiversity loss. This initiative would produce an annual “State of Nature-based Solutions report” and update it in cop28, in the United Arab Emirates.

Brazil’s new president said, “No climate security can be there for the world without protecting Amazon. We will put all our efforts to have zero degradation of biomes and zero deforestation by 2030”. He even called upon rich nations to provide 100 billion dollars to the poor vulnerable countries and help them adapt to climate change.

“Biodiversity and natural ecosystems play an important role in the regulation of climate. So, if investments are made in nature's forests, infrastructure, coastal forests, coral reefs, and mangroves, it can protect us from devastating storms, can store carbon, and would provide habitat for species” said UNEP Executive Director.

The effects of climate change on biodiversity are quite visible, many species of animals and birds are already forced to change their path of migration, vulnerable polar bears (the indicator of global warming) are starving because of melting sea ice, and plants are unable to adapt to temperature change.

On 17th November,

UN secretary, Antonio Guterres, said “There is a trust issue between South and North, and between developing and developed countries, but finger-pointing won’t help. A blame game will only result in cumulative destruction. I appeal to all the parties present to join at this moment and face the adversity and challenges to humans together”.

The UK government provided the first annual update on the “Zero Emissions Vehicles Declaration”, a total of 214 new countries have joined this declaration. According to this, they will have to create a plan to stop the sale of vehicles that aren’t zero emission vehicles by 2035 in the leading country markets.

Certain measures were highlighted for creating technical and financial support for developing and emerging countries that are looking to achieve their zero-emission vehicle ambitions. Countries like Sweden, the UK, the US, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Germany are participating.