Briefing note on Target 8 in the first draft of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework

The briefing note proposes that Target 8 should focus on reducing biodiversity threats from climate change and ensuring that mitigation efforts do not harm ecosystems. It specifically argues for the removal of a target to contribute '10 Gt CO2-e per year', asserting that carbon is an inappropriate metric for biodiversity and could incentivize the destruction of species-rich ecosystems in favor of monoculture plantations or BECCS projects.

• Target 8 should be structured around three primary elements: reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sources (including agriculture and deforestation), ensuring mitigation actions do not harm biodiversity, and prioritizing actions that protect or restore nature's contribution to people.
• Certain climate mitigation strategies are identified as potential threats to biodiversity, specifically geoengineering, bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) projects, and large-scale afforestation that replaces natural ecosystems with tree plantations.
• The document strongly recommends deleting the phrase "contributing at least 10 Gt CO2-e per year to global mitigation efforts" because carbon storage does not correlate with biodiversity richness, and using such a metric could incentivize the conversion of species-rich ecosystems into monoculture plantations.
• The 10 Gt CO2-e figure is described as scientifically meaningless and inaccurate because it attempts to add two non-commensurable processes: the avoidance of emissions and the enhancement of carbon sequestration.
• Valuing biodiversity through carbon metrics is viewed as a step toward commodifying nature for the carbon offset market, which the author argues should be avoided.

APA

Stabinsky, D. (2021). Briefing note on Target 8 in the first draft of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Target-8-Briefing-note.pdf

Chicago

Stabinsky, Doreen. Briefing note on Target 8 in the first draft of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Target-8-Briefing-note.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stabinsky |first1=Doreen |title=Briefing note on Target 8 in the first draft of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=August 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Target-8-Briefing-note.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stabinsky2021briefing, author = {Stabinsky, Doreen}, title = {{Briefing note on Target 8 in the first draft of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Target-8-Briefing-note.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }