What has become of the ceremonious declaration of the 'UN Biodiversity Decade 2011-2020' at the UN General Assembly in 2010?
A FRANCIS OFM
Humanity's ecological footprint is growing notably and irreversibly larger in the last half of this decade. With the unprecedented human activity, the biodiversity of our planet is being irrecoverably destroyed. The population of plant, animal, bird, fish, and insect, is vanishing rapidly. The latest data released in the 2020's Living Planet Report brought out in collaboration, by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International and the Zoological Society of London, cautions us about the accelerating destruction of earth's biodiversity, “In 2016 we documented a 60 percent decline of the destruction of the earth's biodiversity and now it is 70 per cent. All this is happening in a blink of an eye compared with the millions of years that many species have been living on this planet”. Studies that highlight the rapid escalation in the destruction of biodiversity, also warn us that if the current rate of destruction continues, there won't be enough of nature left to support future generations. Amidst this terrifying context of the planetary crisis, coupled with a measure of apocalyptic fear that has come on us by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have the UN Biodiversity Summit under the theme “Urgent action on Biodiversity for sustainable development” on September 30, 2020.
I wouldn't be surprised if people say that they experience a cold, indifferent feeling of utter disappointment towards this event. And so if some people ask,' “of what worth is all this?” I believe, this question of theirs too, is relevant!”
At least some of us remember the ceremonious declaration of the 'UN Biodiversity decade 2011-2020' at the UN General Assembly held in Nayoga, Japan in 2010. The General Assembly had concomitantly identified a set of 20 global biodiversity targets, named as Aichi Biodiversity Targets whose goals should be achieved by 2020, at the latest, through the implementation of urgent action by countries in their efforts towards the conservation of diversity. Some of these include:
• people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably (Target 1).
• Governments, business and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps to achieve or have implemented plans for sustainable production and consumption and have kept the impacts of use of natural resources well within safe ecological limits (Target 4).
• all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested sustainably... (Target 6).
• areas under agriculture, and forestry are managed sustainably, (Target 7).
The year 2020 has already come into existence, and with it, the insidious Covid-19 pandemic, too. The UN Biodiversity Decade is coming to its end as we are approaching the end this decade.
At this juncture, it is timely to raise the question, how many of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets have we successfully realized? This requires an honest and unbiased response from us.
On 8 August, 2020, the UN published its summary report, Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, on the progress achieved by countries with regards to the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. This report underlined that at the global level none of the main goals of the 20 targets proposed were met.
Juxtaposing this report with the findings of the 2020’s Living Planet Report, what is more depressing is that instead of preventing the precipitous decline of biodiversity, we have accelerated it! To our great dismay, the Living Planet Report outlines that 75 percent of the ice-free land of the world, 85 percent of the wetland and 40 percent of the ocean have been degraded by widespread human activity. 1 million species of animals, plants and insects are at the risk of extinction. Scientists call this as ‘the modern mass extinction’.
While our feelings of disappointment, depression and indifference are as real as they possibly could be, there is one more shared emotion that binds us as one humanity in solidarity on the upcoming biodiversity summit, and that is, we all want to see something concretely happening in the practical sphere on the conservation of biodiversity. I call this a ‘craving’. Psychology which defines our emotion of craving as a powerful desire. It is not a hope, nor a thought nor even a mere desire, but a powerful desire. It is a powerful visceral emotion.
We crave to see coming from this summit, concrete plans with strong political determination to save the biodiversity and thus preserve the health of our planet. We are tired of mere words and the lack of political commitment on the part of the so-called world leaders in protecting the biodiversity of our planet. Their empty promises devoid of action have brought us through this century’s deadliest natural calamities and pandemics.
We crave for the world leaders to take substantial steps to prevent the mass extinction of the 1 million species from the face of this planet. We crave to see the UN bracing itself with courage to harness the greedy multinational corporations who plunder the natural resources of the earth. We crave to see the heads of states putting in place innovative visions that will conscientise the general public on the knowledge and conservation of nature, and more importantly, to empower us with time-tested aboriginal wisdom to bend the curve of the biodiversity loss.
Ironically, the dreadful loss of biodiversity has not become a focus of concern to many of us, primarily because a lot of us simply deem it as an environmental issue, and therefore we leave it to the environmental scientists and researchers to come up with appropriate solutions and remedies. This misconception should be nipped at the bud, as early as possible! As a matter of fact, biodiversity fundamentally is an issue pertaining to the preservation of life – all forms of life! It concerns the quintessential ingredients of our day-to-day life such as, food, water, air, fiber, medicine, minerals, and everything we need for our survival. Therefore, it has to be, more than anything else, a huge concern to all of us.
In this age of the Anthropocene, the age of humans as it is being called, let us not focus on our human evolution as destroyers, but as healers and
stewards of the nature, and of the entire planetary community. Each of us must with utmost seriousness and commitment take our responsibility of
preserving the biodiversity so that we work to preserve a healthy planet that will support our generation and future generations to breathe and to be
alive. To this inclusive vision, we anticipate that this upcoming UN Biodiversity Summit on the 30th September 2020, becomes a landmark, or a starting
point.∎
A Francis is a certified clinician and supervisor in psychotherapy, and marriage, family and couple therapy and works in a multicultural community setting of the Greater Toronto, Canada.
