“Life Depends on Climate, Biodiversity Inextricable Link; Let’s Defend It”
Biodiversity and climate change are not separate issues, and if we are to protect the first one we must address the second, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said this week during the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York.
The event – organised by the Secretariat of the UN Biodiversity Convention (CBD) – underscored opportunities that nature provides for human development and the global economy.
Recalling that it was in Rio at the 1992 Earth Summit that the CBD was open for signature along with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention to Combat Desertification, Ms Espinosa said:
“1992 was an important year for our planet’s long-term health. Since then, our organizations have been intricately tied with respect to our overall direction and vision. […] Ours is a long-term vision of the future; one that considers the health of the planet, all forms of life, and the sustainable use of its resources.”
Unsplash Linh Pham