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Too often, when we think about climate change, biodiversity loss, or pollution, these big problems seem abstract, ethereal, and even distant. This is largely because we, like most of our readers, live in urban areas with little daily contact with nature. However, this physical distance from our natural environment does not change the fact that the health of our population and our economies directly depends on the health of nature.
All the ecosystems around us, both those we see with the naked eye and those that are further away, provide us with means of subsistence, food, water, medicines and a wide range of benefits, from the pollination of the fruits and vegetables we consume every day to the regulation of floods. Likewise, a stable climate guarantees the security of agricultural cycles and reduces the risks of hurricanes and droughts.
We are understanding this in Latin America, the hard way, with the “water wars” that hit us in different latitudes, as well as with alarming signs that ecosystems vital to planetary balance are approaching a ecological point of no returnFor example, if the current rate of deforestation continues, the Amazon could become a desert, affecting regions such as the Andes, La Plata and the wetlands in the Pantanal; and even inducing changes in water patterns at a global level, irreparable losses of biodiversity and carbon release, which would exacerbate climate change and losses in the livelihoods of local communities and indigenous peoples.
On the other side of the coin, there is something positive about these interrelations. In our region, we have witnessed surprising stories of those who have become coral gardeners in Colombia and creators of underwater nurseries to recover these ecosystems in Brazil. Coral reefs, seriously affected by ocean warming, can in turn take care of people’s health by providing them with food, protecting them from storms, promoting nature-based tourism and being a source of medicinal components to combat various diseases.
This is the case of the vast majority of our natural ecosystems: they are extremely fragile, they are being directly affected by human activities with great risks for the future and the health of these ecosystems, which is also ours, invites a joint responsibility for care.
In 2024 and 2025, Latin America has the opportunity to lead strong global actions on these issues. Two Latin American countries will be the epicenter of the United Nations’ efforts to address these issues: Colombia will host the Biodiversity Summit in October of this year (COP16), while Brazil will host the Climate Change Summit in November 2025 (COP30).
The region is well positioned to play a leading role and lead by example, because although generates less than 10% of global emissions of the gases causing climate change, has one of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet, with an incredible wealth of species, particularly endemic ones.
The governments of Latin America and the Caribbean must therefore demonstrate responsible leadership that comprehensively addresses biodiversity loss and climate change and ensures enabling conditions for sustainable development. In this regard, it is essential to advance joint planning, implementation and financing processes around the following: Actions:
- First, ensure that national climate and biodiversity policy planning processes are integrated into the development of sectoral strategies;
- Second, prioritize and establish financial strategies with the participation of national development banks, multilateral banks, the private sector and international cooperation from developed countries, with a view to implementing nature-based solutions that can contribute to both climate and biodiversity objectives and the exercise of human rights;
- Third, increase representation and resources so that indigenous peoples and local Afro-descendant communities, peasants, fishermen, women, youth, girls and boys and other actors disproportionately affected by their vulnerability or level of marginalization, act on climate change and biodiversity through holistic approaches;
- Fourth, support public-private partnerships, along with non-state initiatives, as key catalysts for inclusive action.
The future of Latin America and the planet depends on our immediate action. It is the duty of decision-makers and regional leaders to follow the example of protecting vital ecosystems to ensure people’s health in the agreements of COP16, and the upcoming COP30, and to position a strong and solid Latin American voice.
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