Conserving biodiversity and combating climate change: International targets for achieving this have not been met. The Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) mentioned this in a report on Wednesday. This is why a different climate policy is needed all over the world.
Worldwide nature loss must be halted by 2030, and even completely reversed by 2050. This is the view set forth in the report. This requires not only addressing the causes of biodiversity loss, but also large-scale nature restoration projects.
To achieve this, governments around the world must continue to work with cities, counties, and businesses. This is already happening, but according to the PBL, a “tidal wave of joint action” is needed to achieve the goals.
The report mentions several measures through which the goals can be achieved. One of the main ones is changing our diet.
Consuming meat and dairy indirectly leads to carbon dioxide emissions and is therefore one of the causes of climate change. The high demand for animal feed is the main cause of deforestation, which leads to a loss of much biodiversity, especially in tropical forests. In addition, the Planning Office advises that less food is wasted worldwide.
Businesses must think about how they can invest in the sustainable supply of food, energy and materials. For example, they must ensure that the entire chain (production, packaging and transportation) is not at the expense of forests.
But the responsibility doesn’t just lie with the companies themselves, according to PBL. The government should provide financial support to companies with a sustainable policy. Organizations that benefit from climate damage and biodiversity loss must be properly addressed by government.
The Planning Office also states that many cities in the world focus too much on growth. For example, they use the land in a way that threatens biodiversity.
