We can't fix climate change without protecting biodiversity, says UNFCCC official

Fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity may not be exactly the same thing, but they're definitely related.

"Biodiversity and climate are deeply intertwined. It will actually not be possible to solve one crisis without addressing the other," Ko Barrett, vice chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and senior adviser for climate at NOAA, says during the livestream discussion "Time for nature: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity," hosted by GZERO in partnership with Suntory.

One the one hand, she explains, climate change is accelerating biodiversity loss by increasingly disturbing marine and land ecosystems. On the other, nature offers solutions to address climate while protecting biodiversity such as green roofs to cool buildings, preserving bee populations to improve crop yields, or mangroves to store carbon.

"Biodiversity and climate change should be tackled simultaneously," Barrett adds. "Failing to do so risks leading to unintended and negative consequences for one or the other."

Learn more about this GZERO Media live discussion: https://www.gzeromedia.com/events/past-events/the-global-water-crisis-and-the-path-to-a-sustainable-future