8. The IPCC of Biodiversity

March 26th, 2020

The IPBES, which stands for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, is an independent intergovernmental body established in 2012 by 94 governments. In spring 2019, it released four regional reports on global biodiversity. Directed by 550 experts and involving over 100 countries, this assessment became the most comprehensive work on the state of global biodiversity and simultaneously the most alarming scientific assessment. In Europe, it highlights that one-third of marine species and two-thirds of marine habitat types have an unfavorable conservation status. The density of these habitats and species is sharply decreasing, leading to the loss of associated ecosystem services.

Currently, the Secretary-General of the IPBES is a Frenchwoman. Far from the environmental activism of the 2000s, Anne Larigauderie stated on May 6th, as reported by Nicolas Demorand: "What concerns us is the life of human beings on Earth." While this statement may be shocking in its anthropocentrism, it shows that biodiversity preservation is not only the concern of nature lovers. Even Emmanuel Macron emphatically declares, "Ecology is the fight of the century." The recent major event at the Chamonix glacier put the reports of the IPCC and IPBES in the spotlight, marking the official creation of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). Pierre Dubreuil, the director of the OFB, delivered the opening speech at the Marine Biodiversity conference. The sea is increasingly central to both the IPBES and the IPCC because, until now, it has ensured the planet's resilience against human activities, particularly through its biodiversity. The known statistics are unequivocal: "Since 1870, 50% of coral reefs have disappeared worldwide." "The decrease in fish biomass by the end of the century will be between 3% and 25% according to climate change scenarios, while demand will increase."

Gradually, a sense of urgency grips everyone, including researchers witnessing the worsening of their predictions. The term "climate depression" is being used. So, is this urgency genuine? The current crisis forces us to live "in slow motion." This pause is an unprecedented gift that nature compels us to make. In its initial findings, the IPBES encourages considering indigenous populations as guardians of biodiversity. These populations naturally respect nature in their practices, and their viability is intrinsically linked to the state of biodiversity. This is evident, for example, in small island nations where fishing is a crucial factor for subsistence. François-Xavier Bellamy, a philosopher and politician, clearly categorized as "right-wing," urges us in his book "Demeure" to escape perpetual movement to first seek a direction in which to align our actions. There is a convergence between these thoughts and the IPBES demonstrations, leading us to eliminate the superfluous to reconnect with the real.

The change we need relies primarily on defining a common long-term goal. The urgency lies not so much in the rescue of a particular species but in the realization that we are all connected to nature.