1st Virtual Meeting of the Technical Advisory Panel
Biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems are attributable to multiple causes and measures to reverse these trends need to be based on sound, situation-specific diagnosis. While there is a growing recognition by governments and other stakeholders of the importance of conserving natural assets, valuing ecosystems and their multiple services remains a very imperfect science. Decisions based on incomplete valuation tend to favour uses which are often incompatible with maintaining those ecosystem services and which may undermine sustainable development.
Global cooperation is essential to combat climate change. The costs of inaction are very unevenly distributed, with poor, vulnerable countries bearing the greatest burden while having contributed little to the problem. The long-lasting effects of greenhouse gas emissions compound the problem, as current generations may bear the costs of urgent climate change mitigation actions, but future generations are the main beneficiaries.
- How can we strengthen the knowledge base of decision making relating to conserving the natural resource base?
- What policies and institutions can help societies value more accurately ecosystems and their services?
- What measures, actions and/or commitments should countries be expected to make to combat climate change (e.g., on lifestyle changes, technology development and transfer, financing, capacity building) and how should these commitments be implemented and enforced?
- What measures, actions and/or commitments should be expected from the private sector to combat climate change (e.g. corporate social responsibility)?