Key Highlights of the IPBES Nexus Report: Addressing Global Challenges

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
• Key highlights of the NEXUS Report

Why in News?

The Assessment Report on the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health – known as the Nexus Report – has been released by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The report provides decision-makers with the most comprehensive scientific assessment of the interconnections across five ‘nexus elements’: biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change. It explores over 60 response options to maximize co-benefits across these five nexus elements.

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

• About
  • IPBES, akin to the IPCC for climate change, evaluates existing scientific knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystems to assess their current state. 
  • Established in 2012, it informs several international environmental agreements like the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, and the Cartagena Protocol.
  • Just like IPCC, IPBES too does not produce new science. It only evaluates the existing knowledge to make consolidated assessments.
• Landmark Report by IPBES
• First Report (2019)
  • Highlighted threats to global biodiversity, revealing that one million species face extinction due to human-induced ecosystem changes. 
  • It reported that 75% of Earth’s land, 66% of marine areas, and 85% of wetlands had been significantly altered or lost.
• Impact
  • This report became the foundation for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022), which set 23 targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2030.
  • Key 2030 goals include: Protecting 30% of land, freshwater, and oceans; Restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems.

Key highlights of the NEXUS Report

• Strong interconnections between global challenges
  • The report highlights the strong interconnections between global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, hunger, water scarcity, and health risks. 
  • It emphasizes that tackling these issues separately is not only ineffective but also counterproductive, as they interact and compound each other.
  • It noted that current economic activities significantly harm biodiversity, climate, food production, water, and health, with unaccounted costs estimated at $10-25 trillion annually.
• Risks of Isolated Approaches
  • Food Production: Scaling up to tackle hunger can increase pressure on land, water, and biodiversity.
  • Climate Change Focus: Exclusive efforts could negatively affect food security and biodiversity.
  • Conservation: Protecting land and oceans may restrict options for food security and climate change mitigation.
• Call for Synergistic Approaches
  • The report advocates for integrated strategies that deliver benefits across all five challenges, identifying over 70 response options, including:
    • Restoring carbon-rich ecosystems like forests, soils, and mangroves.
    • Managing biodiversity to reduce zoonotic disease risks.
    • Promoting sustainable healthy diets.
    • Employing nature-based solutions.
• Sustainable Production and Consumption
  • Efforts must prioritize actions that balance sustainable production and consumption with ecosystem conservation, pollution reduction, and climate change mitigation, ensuring broad and lasting benefits.
• Economic Impact of Biodiversity Loss
  • The report highlights that over half of the global GDP, approximately $58 trillion annually, depends on nature. 
  • Biodiversity degradation reduces productivity and economic output. 
  • Despite this, current economic systems incentivize activities that harm biodiversity, contributing to its decline by 2–6% every decade.
• Principles of Transformative Change
  • The report outlines four core principles for a new approach:
    • Equity and Justice: Fair distribution of resources and opportunities.
    • Pluralism and Inclusion: Embracing diverse perspectives.
    • Respectful Human-Nature Relationships: Building reciprocal and sustainable interactions.
    • Adaptive Learning and Action: Continuously evolving strategies based on feedback and experience.
• Urgency and Benefits of Immediate Action
  • Delaying action on biodiversity conservation could double costs within a decade. 
  • However, immediate implementation of sustainable, nature-positive models could unlock $10 trillion in business opportunities and create 400 million jobs by 2030.

Q.1. What are the main challenges addressed in the IPBES Nexus Report?

The Nexus Report identifies five interconnected challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, water scarcity, and health risks. It highlights the need for integrated strategies to address these challenges holistically.

Q.2. Why is biodiversity loss an economic concern?

The report notes that biodiversity underpins over half of global GDP. Its degradation reduces productivity and costs $10-25 trillion annually, urging immediate action for sustainable economic models.

News: Climate change and biodiversity loss are connected: Key takeaways from NEXUS report | IPBES | Carbon Brief