The National Arctic Science Expedition Team, in its fourth year in the Arctic Ocean, identified the decline in sea ice due to global climate change through sampling, assessment, observation, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The study, conducted using remote sensing techniques, analyzed the average sea ice distribution in June 2023 and June 2024 and revealed a significant decrease in sea ice. (Photo by: Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu, Getty Images)
Some approaches to tackling global warming can have unintended ramifications for protecting nature and biodiversity, scientists say, calling for more coordinated efforts to tackle these challenges. are.
“Trying to find a solution to the problem risks causing damage elsewhere,” Anne Larrigauderie of the Intergovernmental Scientific-Political Platform on Biodiversity (IPBES), an independent body of experts, told AFP. There are cases where there is,” he said.
IPBES will publish a report in December on how various crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss, are closely linked and should be tackled together rather than in isolation.
IPBES and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in 2021 that a siled approach risks leading to “actions that inadvertently impede resolution of either or both issues.”
In the UK, for example, an ostensibly healthy policy of planting trees in wetlands backfired, in turn drying out these carbon-rich landscapes and releasing global warming gases stored in their roots and soil.
negative impact
The Climate Action Network, a collection of non-governmental organizations, has warned against “false solutions” that promise a healthier planet but come at a cost to people and ecosystems.
For example, intentionally injecting iron into the ocean to encourage microplankton growth may seem promising, but “geoengineering” techniques have raised concerns about potential impacts.
Oxford University researcher Alison Smith said iron fertilization was “likely to cause large-scale environmental damage due to uncertain climate change”.
The Biodiversity Research Foundation stated in 2022 that “measures taken to mitigate climate change must be evaluated according to their overall benefits and risks, not just their carbon footprint.”
Wind turbines generate clean electricity and reduce the energy system's dependence on fossil fuels, but in some locations they can pose a risk to migratory birds and bats.
Also, building hydroelectric dams can reduce fish populations by blocking fish passage along waterways.
“Break down the silos”
Tom Oliver from the University of Reading said: 'As with climate change and biodiversity loss, the crisis is so vast, complex and interconnected that focusing on one aspect of the problem will never be enough. ” he said.
He said it was “important to look beyond 'plaster and paste fixes'” such as geoengineering, which “could have major side effects”.
Installing “underwater curtains” to protect Antarctic glaciers from rising water temperatures – an idea floated at last year's UN climate summit – could impede the flow of nutrients, says Lars Smedsrud of the University of Bergen. wrote this year in Nature magazine.
As we seek solutions to our biggest and most difficult challenges, “it's important to look at the big picture and not focus narrowly on climate change alone,” Smith said.
She is one of many experts promoting nature-based solutions that “combine benefits for biodiversity, climate and population”.
A 2020 study published in the journal Global Change Biology found that “nature-based interventions can be as effective or more effective than alternative interventions to address climate impacts. “is the most commonly shown.”
And preserving existing ecosystems, rather than trying to rebuild new ones, has the greatest potential.
A 2023 study published in the journal Nature found that simply protecting existing forests and leaving them to regenerate can have significant carbon removal benefits.
“There is no one silver bullet. We need to do all we can in every sector, country and method,” Smith said.
“Breaking down silos is the only way forward that doesn’t cause more problems than it solves.”
© Agence France-Presse
