Environmental damage will cost the world economy up to $25 trillion a year in the decades to come and threaten the health of billions, unless governments address its effects on biodiversity and food production, according to a UN-backed report published on Tuesday.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), describes its document as the “most ambitious scientific assessment ever undertaken” of the links between five separate crises or “nexus elements” – biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change – that have a crucial bearing on global living standards.
IPBES was established to improve the interface between science and policy on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The authors of what has been dubbed the “Nexus Report” say that attaching equal importance to all five issues is vital to achieve sustainable development goals, including the 2015 Paris Agreement, under which countries pledged to try to keep global temperature rises to less 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.
They warn that addressing the challenges in isolation would worsen the global picture.
The report’s co-author, Prof Paula Harrison of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology research institute, said the message to policymakers was that “you can’t sustainably tackle any of them – food production, climate change or biodiversity loss – without considering the others”. She added: “We have to stop thinking about these as single issues.”
One example is how a “food first” isolated approach that targets hunger risks more climate damage. Boosting food production at any cost might feed more people in the short term. But too much unsustainable farming will probably hit biodiversity, water supplies and accelerate climate change, says the report.
“We have to move decisions and actions beyond single issues,” said Prof Harrison, adding that considering the interconnection between health and environment could bring dramatic benefits.
She cited new progress in fighting the devastating parasitic disease schistosomiasis – also known as bilharzia – that affects more than 200 million people worldwide, mainly in Africa.
Viewed simply as a health challenge and tackled with medication, the disease tends to recur as people are reinfected.
But an innovative project in rural Senegal has taken a different approach. Researchers have cut water pollution and removed invasive water plants to eliminate the habitat for the snails that host the parasitic worms that carry the disease. This has slashed new infections in children by 32 per cent and provided access to fresh water and new revenue for the local communities.
Another example is the 30 per cent increase in cereal yields and biodiversity achieved in some parts of south-central Niger through farmer-managed natural regeneration of 5 million hectares, using native trees and agroforestry systems.
Prof Harrison's report sets out a road map, adaptable for different regions of the world, that she says allows government to “get the widest benefits across all of our five nexus elements”.
It focuses on sustainable production and consumption, and combines this with conserving and restoring ecosystems, cutting pollution and fighting and adapting to climate change.
The report says examples of practices that tackled the key issues, with few or no downsides, include:
- restoring carbon-rich ecosystems, such as forests, soils and mangroves
- protecting biodiversity to reduce risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans
- improving of land-sea borders
- supporting indigenous food and conservation systems
- encouraging transboundary co-operation over water management
Representatives of the 147 member-states of IPBES approved the report, officially titled The Assessment Report on the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health, in Namibia's capital Windhoek, on Monday.
It is the result of three years of work by 165 leading international experts from 57 countries.
The document lists stark evidence that action is needed, including a 2 to 6 per cent decline in global biodiversity decline per decade in the last 30-50 years. It says that 50 per cent of the global population lives in areas experiencing the steepest declines in biodiversity, water availability and food security, and worst effects from climate change.
The extent of the global climate crisis was underlined when a UN report marking this month's Cop16 summit to address land degradation, drought and desertification in Saudi Arabia warned that a quarter of the world's population faced conditions that “redefine life on Earth”.
Today’s report says that $58 trillion – more than half of global GDP – was generated last year in global sectors significantly or largely dependent on nature.
And its authors estimate an unintended reduction of between $10 and $25 trillion a year in global GDP due to negative impacts that the fossil fuel, agriculture and fisheries sectors have on biodiversity, climate change, water, and health.
“The report underscores the need for diverse knowledge systems, values and governance approaches to effectively tackle today's interconnected global challenges,” said Audrey Azoulay, director general of Unesco, the UN agency promoting co-operation in education, arts, sciences and culture.
A follow-up report from IPBES, titled Transformative Change Assessment will be published on Wednesday, specifically addressing biodiversity loss and the action needed to tackle it. It will call on adoption of measures of wealth, other than GDP, that also take into account public health and sustainability.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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The five pillars of Islam
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017
Vacancy Rate 5.4%
Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent
New Supply 55 million sq ft
New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent
Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft
(Source: Colliers)
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Brave CF 27 fight card
Welterweight:
Abdoul Abdouraguimov (champion, FRA) v Jarrah Al Selawe (JOR)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (TUN) v Alex Martinez (CAN)
Welterweight:
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Alex Nacfur (BRA) v Dwight Brooks (USA)
Bantamweight:
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Chris Corton (PHI) v Zia Mashwani (PAK)
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Day 2, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dinesh Chandimal has inherited a challenging job, after being made Sri Lanka’s Test captain. He responded in perfect fashion, with an easy-natured century against Pakistan. He brought up three figures with a majestic cover drive, which he just stood and admired.
Stat of the day – 33 It took 33 balls for Dilruwan Perera to get off the mark. His time on zero was eventful enough. The Sri Lankan No 7 was given out LBW twice, but managed to have both decisions overturned on review. The TV replays showed both times that he had inside edged the ball onto his pad.
The verdict In the two previous times these two sides have met in Abu Dhabi, the Tests have been drawn. The docile nature of proceedings so far makes that the likely outcome again this time, but both sides will be harbouring thoughts that they can force their way into a winning position.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
