We Need To Work With Nature, Not Against It
In the wake of World Environment Day, we call on North American decision-makers to help deliver solutions that put nature at the forefront to protect our shared future.
By Barbara Hendrie (United Nations Environment Programme) and Richard Morgan (Commission for Environmental Cooperation)
The current global pandemic has laid bare the close link between human health and nature. As we work to build back better, decision-makers across North America should consider how we can do this in ways that support our planet, its people, and the economy.
From the food we eat to the air we breathe, we depend on biodiversity for the variety of life on earth and the links among all its elements. Without this complex, interdependent web, human existence would not be possible. We are part of nature, but we are part of the problem that is impacting the precious life that surrounds us.
“Our reliance on nature — often unseen and unmeasured — is critical. And yet, we are consuming natural resources and destroying natural habitat and species at a rate that far exceeds the planet’s capacity to regenerate.”
We continue to significantly alter our environment. By over-exploiting our resources and polluting our air and water, human activities have led to serious consequences for biodiversity, for our own livelihoods and lifestyles.
We are on the brink of a mass extinction of species, with 1 million of earth’s 8 million species currently in danger of disappearing. In Canada and the U.S alone, we have seen nearly 30% of our birds disappear in the last 50 years.
The protection of nature is one of the greatest challenges of our lifetimes. Why should we care? Because nature is the underlying foundation of our livelihoods, prosperity, and well-being. More than half of global GDP — the equivalent of roughly US$44 trillion — is moderately or highly dependent on nature. More than 70% of those living in poverty depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, through farming, fishing, forestry, or other nature-based activities.
“As we develop recovery plans to support poverty reduction, job creation, and economic growth, we are at a critical moment to do this sustainably and in ways that strengthen and protect nature.”
Our reliance on nature — often unseen and unmeasured — is critical. And yet, we are consuming natural resources and destroying natural habitat and species at a rate that far exceeds the planet’s capacity to regenerate. Every year, a forest area the size of Portugal is lost. We have already severely damaged more than 85% of our wetland environments. In North America alone, 25–30% of food is wasted each year. This is about 18 million hectares of wasted cropland, amounting to US$255 million in biodiversity loss. The current COVID-19 pandemic has only served to expose this issue more, as farmers are being forced to dispose of millions of pounds of food that can no longer be sold on the market.
The good news is that nature provides the solutions to many of the challenges we are facing, including climate change. Nature traps carbon. If we regenerate damaged land, support the protection and regeneration of forests, and help reduce the choking and poisoning of our oceans, we have the potential to reduce global carbon emissions by 12 gigatons per year. Changing our land-use practices alone can deliver 30% of the emission reductions that we need to achieve our global climate goals by 2030.
The post-COVID period of rebuilding provides an opportunity for decision-makers to implement new and innovative solutions that work with nature. As we develop recovery plans to support poverty reduction, job creation, and economic growth, we are at a critical moment to do this sustainably and in ways that strengthen and protect nature. Such ‘nature-based solutions’ protect both planetary health and human health and well-being. The recent COVID crisis has shown us how inextricably linked the two are.
There are policy frameworks that support this effort, including in North America. The Environmental Cooperation Agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States contains commitments for all three countries to work collectively to protect biodiversity.
The solutions and tools exist to create the change we need, we just have to use them. As we work to build back better, we call on North American decision-makers to help deliver solutions that put nature at the forefront to protect our shared future.
Dr. Barbara Hendrie is the Regional Director for the United Nations Environment Programme’s North America Office, based in Washington, D.C.
Richard A. Morgan is the Executive Director of The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, based in Montreal, Quebec
The statements and opinions represented in CEC Medium articles are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the positions or views of the CEC or the governments of Canada, Mexico, or the United States.
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