For many years, scientists have been emphasizing the close relationship between climate change and biodiversity. Only recently have those in power begun to truly comprehend that every aspect of nature, from weather patterns to wetlands, must be seen as interactively cohesive. In simpler terms, altering one element in the natural world has a domino effect on others.
There is some positive news: restoring biodiversity often proves to be a critical and economically efficient way of reducing the effects of climate change. Carrying out ecological rehabilitation on a broad scale can slow down, and potentially reverse, global warming.
Such actions are slowly becoming practice. For instance, extracting peat from bogs increases carbon emissions; on the contrary, restoring bogs helps to remove carbon from the environment. Several more examples substantiate that ecosystem restoration offers numerous advantages, not least of which includes climate mitigation.
However, the daunting reality is that considerably magnified and scientifically directed restoration efforts, as envisioned under the new EU Nature Restoration Law, call for an unprecedented level of collaboration across government, state agencies, and private landowners.
According to Marie Donnelly, Chairperson of the Climate Change Advisory Council, in their latest yearly analysis on biodiversity, such coordination must be significantly enhanced and paired with increased funding for the Nature Restoration Law’s implementation. She stated that the government must put in place a comprehensive strategy for land use to support climate, biodiversity, and water objectives.
The realisation of such an endeavour, which necessitates a major adjustment in national political priorities, is a formidable task. The urgency of this shift can only be driven by a strong cognizance of the grave outcomes if we fail to do so.
Evidence is increasingly indicating that these negative effects include significant harm to our farming practices due to climate inconsistencies and significant disruptions to urban life due to related extreme weather phenomena, particularly in coastal regions. We are facing a critical decision, and immediate action is necessary.