Biodiversity and Climate Change CGBN Co-ordination Group for Biodiversity and Nature 4th meeting - 12/02/09 Agenda item 3.C-2 Biodiversity and Climate Change

CONTENT Some general thoughts on the climate change-biodiversity nexus Update on what happened since last CGBN

Biodiversity decline and climate change: two sides of the same coin ADAPTATION (alternative species composition delivering required services) HUMAN ACTION CLIMATE CHANGE (-) (-) HUMAN WELL-BEING ECONOMIC & SOCIAL IMPACTS BIODIVERSITY OTHER DRIVERS -habitat destruction IAS fragmentation (-) (+) (+) (+) MITIGATION (carbon sequestration, water retention, biomass production) ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Some facts Positive feedbacks from ecosystems to the climate system are significant They are not incorporated in the current climate models, because of the high uncertainties But there is general agreement that the main feedbacks will be through increase in soil respiration under increased temperature (e.g. in the arctic potential to add 200 ppm by 2100) Peatlands are also not explicitly included in global climate models and therefore predictions of future climate change may be underestimates

Global CO2 Budgeting 2000-2006 ~7.6 ~1.5 ~4.1 ~2.8 ~2.2 Source fossil fuel emissions ~7.6 Source ~1.5 deforestation CO2 flux (Pg y-1) atmospheric CO2 ~4.1 Sink CO2 uptake by terrestrial eosystems ~2.8 land ocean ~2.2 Time (y) Le Quéré, unpublished; Canadell et al. 2007, PNAS

therefore It is impossible to solve biodiversity loss without addressing climate change It is equally impossible to solve climate change without addressing biodiversity and related ecosystem services Failing on the biodiversity targets compromises our actions to combat climate change

What is at stake ? Climate change aggravates increasingly threats such as pollution, habitat loss and fragmentation Climate change impacts on nature conservation, e.g. Natura 2000 Long-term ability of ecosystems to regulate climate compromised by continuing loss of biodiversity

Different tools needed to tap all potentials No Regret Options Policies / Barriers Low Cost / Co-benefit Policies / Incentives Low Cost / Co-benefit Policies / Incentives Low Cost / Co-benefit Policies / Incentives Significant Cost Carbon pricing High Cost RD&D Source: McKinsey 2009

What can we do ? Identify and implement measures to help nature to adapt Valorise Natura 2000 Promote the potential of « co-benefit approaches » Address the wider ecosystem challenge of climate change Integrate biodiversity aspects in climate change policy and negotiations

What have we done Ad Hoc Expert Working Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change First meeting: 26 November 2008 Mandate Output: Strategy paper on biodiversity and climate change with a view to link biodiversity and climate change policy for post 2010 including issues of Natura 2000 (N2K) and ecological connectivity and the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services with regards to combating climate change Second meeting: 11 March 2009 Joint RTD/ENV side event at UNFCCC COP 14 in Poznan CIRCA http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/env/biodiversity_climate/home

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