Summary Note 15 (December 2023)
This Summary presents the discussions held, in person and online, during the 16th session of the EMRIP, July 17 to 21, 2023.
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Online conferenceThe recording is available here : https://youtu.be/2iYfwIMwzlM
Interpretation in English, French, Russian and Spanish
With Members of the European Parliament
And NGOs
The concept of "Nature-based Solutions" (NbS) has been used since 2009 in the framework of the UN climate negotiations and has also been used in recent years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These solutions are defined by the IUCN as "actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits".
In EU legislation too, the European Commission is increasingly referring to NbS, notably in the Communications on the Green Deal for Europe and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, as well as in a draft delegated act on the Taxonomy Regulation.
Held in advance of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15), and the 2021 United Nations climate change conference (COP26), the aim of this event is to highlight civil society's concerns about the specific use of NbS, notably for carbon or biodiversity offsetting. Such measures can have significant negative environmental and social consequences and can even hinder or undermine the global fight against the climate crisis.
Many environmental and social concerns need to be addressed when working on NbS: offsetting could enable continued pollution; the availability of large volumes of low-cost carbon credits from NbS projects can dilute the ambition of companies and governments to reduce their own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; NbS offsets can be misused for greenwashing, while continuing the status quo; measurement errors could overestimate reduced emissions; land use could prioritise emission reductions/removals (e.g. large-scale, non-native, monoculture plantations), thereby having a negative impact on biodiversity, food and water security and the provision of other ecosystem goods and services, especially for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
This conference will provide an opportunity to answer the following questions:
1:00 PM – Introduction by Michèle Rivasi, Maria Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, Marie-Ange Kalenga and Joan Carling
1:15 PM – Panel 1: What are Nature-based solutions, offsetting and financialisation? What is at stake?
With
1:45 PM – Q&A
2:00 PM – Panel 2: Financialisation of nature and its impact on Indigenous Peoples and local communities - Views and experiences across regions and recommendations
With
2:40 PM – Q&A
2:55 PM – Coffee break - Video & Poll
3:10 PM – Panel 3: Will Nature-based solutions continue the status quo?
With
15h40 – Q&A
4:00 PM – Panel 4: How can the EU prevent land grabbing and human rights violations linked to Nature-based Solutions?
With
4:30 PM – Q&A
4:45 PM – Conclusions by Marc Tarabella (TBC) and Michèle Rivasi
