What is the relationship between Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss?

CEEweb, as an organization focusing primarily on biodiversity issues, has the mission of promoting the deep interrelation between climate change and biodiversity, and facilitating coherence between these two fields.

Despite lots of efforts during the last 20 years from local to international levels, global CO2 concentration have increased in the atmosphere by 35% since 1990, and is still growing. Now we came to the point that, if the CO2 level could be fixed within five years, climate change would still unfold in the coming decades with approximately 2 degrees Celsius warming according to pre-industrial level. This is underpinned by recent assessments, stating that we are very close to approaching 450 ppm concentration of CO2 equivalents (including all greenhouse gases), which is corresponding to two degrees warming according to IPCC. Two degrees is considered to be a threshold, above which climate change very likely turns uncontrollable.

The urgency of climate change and other environmental crises – above all biodiversity loss – the complex interrelation between them as well as their close link to socio-economic problems call for a systemic approach, identifying and targeting the common root causes behind these challenges.

Central and Eastern Europe is a region with one of the richest biodiversity in Europe. Therefore it is the most vulnerable to climate change on one hand, but on the other hand provides the most opportunities in terms of employing biodiversity for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, involving various sectors such as spatial planning, land use, agriculture, forestry and water management.

CEEweb is lobbying for an ambitious climate commitment with higher priority of biodiversity and sustainability aspects at EU and national level primarily in Central and East European countries, but also going beyond it, we are working for a holistic environmental policy and a new, more sustainable socio-economic framework.
Climate change from a holistic approach
The ecosystem-approach in climate change
The special role of soils in climate change mitigation and adaptation
The role of agriculture and forestry in achieving climate change commitments

Policy levels

Global: the UNFCCC process from Rio to Durban
EU: Climate policy in the EU
National: Climate policies in Central and East Europe
Local: Pilot project in CEE microregions on ecosystem-based adaptation of land use

Resources

Report of the Joint national activities for the ecosystem-based mitigation and adaptation to climate change in 2013

The role of European agriculture and forestry in climate change mitigation (poster, CEEweb Academy 2013)

Report of the Joint CEE national lobby for the ecosystem-based mitigation and adaptation to climate change: activities in 2012 in Bulgaria (2012)

Recommendations on the follow-up to the Durban Climate Conference of December 2011 – prepared prior to the Environment Council meeting (March, 2012)

Report of the project ‘Joint communication for the ecosystem-based mitigation and adaptation to climate change at national level’ (2011)

Recommendations for possible objectives of a future LIFE fund supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation targets (2011)

Recommendations for adaptation to climate change at national level (2011)

Central and East European NGO reflections on Cancun (2011)

Soil Biodiversity – Effects on Carbon Storage and Water Retention from Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption Functions (review, 2011)

CEEweb contribution to the European Commission’s Public consultation on the role of EU agriculture and forestry in achieving the EU’s climate change commitments (2010)

Ecosystem-based adaptation of land use to climate change: a pilot project in Central- and East-European microregions (poster, Fourteenth Meeting of the SBSTTA to the CBD, 10-21 May 2010, Nairobi, Kenya)

CEEweb policy recommendations after Copenhagen – opportunity for a new climate change policy in Europe and globally (2010)

Press release: Central and East European NGO reflections on Cancun and beyond (2010)

Press release: EU offers to cut 20% of CO2 by 2020 –NGO network says much more is needed (2009)

Background paper on Biodiversity and climate change for the 5th Biodiversity in Europe Conference (2009)

NGO message on Biodiversity and Climate Change for the 5th Biodiversity in Europe Conference (2009)

Findings of a survey on national climate change policies of seven CEE countries (2008)

Capacity building

CEEweb Academy on climate change and biodiversity

If you have any comment or question, please contact Agnes Zolyomi.