There are some bright spots on the horizon…

Societal goals – including those for food, water, energy, health and the achievement of human well-being for all, mitigating and adapting to climate change and conserving and sustainably using nature – can be achieved in sustainable pathways through the rapid and improved deployment of existing policy instruments and new initiatives that more effectively enlist individual and collective action for transformative change. Since current structures often inhibit sustainable development and actually represent the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, such fundamental, structural change is called for.

Policy actions and societal initiatives are helping to raise awareness about the impact of consumption on nature, protecting local environments, promoting sustainable local economies and restoring degraded areas.

Restoration of forested land at a global scale could help capture atmospheric carbon and mitigate climate change (Science magazine, July 5, 2019).  Using direct measurements of forest cover to generate a model of forest restoration potential across the globe, spatially explicit maps show how much additional tree cover could exist outside of existing forests and agricultural and urban land. Ecosystems could support an additional 900  million hectares of continuous forest. This would represent a greater than 25% increase in forested area, including more than 500 billion trees and more than 200 gigatonnes of additional carbon at maturity. Such a change has the potential to cut the atmospheric carbon pool by about 25%.  However, climate change will alter this potential tree coverage if we continue on our present trajectory.  

Some Quotes:

“Initiatives at various levels have contributed to expanding and strengthening the network of ecologically representative networks, area-based conservation measures, the protection of watersheds and incentives and sanctions to reduce pollution, etc.” – IPBES Global Assessment Report

“Our local, indigenous and scientific knowledge are proving that we have solutions and so no more excuses: we must live on earth differently. UNESCO is committed to promoting respect of the living and of its diversity, ecological solidarity with other living species, and to establish new, equitable and global links of partnership and intra-generational solidarity, for the perpetuation of humankind.” – Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO

“We have already seen the first stirrings of actions and initiatives for transformative change, such as innovative policies by many countries, local authorities and businesses, but especially by young people worldwide. From the young global shapers behind the #VoiceforthePlanet movement, to school strikes for climate, there is a groundswell of understanding that urgent action is needed if we are to secure anything approaching a sustainable future.” – Sir Robert Watson, IPBES Chai