A CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING POLICY COHERENCE AND SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY REGIMES

The document examines the interdependence of climate and biodiversity, arguing that current international policy regimes operate in silos. It identifies risks where climate mitigation (such as bioenergy monocultures or transition mineral mining) harms biodiversity, and opportunities where ecosystem restoration provides mutual benefits. The authors recommend establishing a formal work programme or technical expert group under the UNFCCC to coordinate with the CBD, improving the science-policy interface between the IPCC and IPBES, and addressing the double-counting of synergistic finance reported by OECD DAC members.

• There is currently no dedicated institutional channel within the UNFCCC, its subsidiary bodies, or the CMA for effective collaboration and communication with the CBD and UNCCD, leading to siloed rules and instruments.
• The authors propose several options for creating a dedicated space at the UNFCCC to enhance coherence, including a new climate-biodiversity work programme under the SBSTA and SBI, reactivating the existing SBSTA agenda item on cooperation with international organizations, or establishing an ad hoc technical expert group.
• Nature-based solutions (NbS) are a point of contention among states; some countries express concern that the term is used for measures with negative biodiversity impacts or as a justification for carbon offsetting that deters deep emission cuts.
• Certain climate mitigation measures pose significant risks to biodiversity: bioenergy crops can lead to habitat loss and monoculture expansion, transition mineral mining for renewables pressures freshwater and species, and large-scale hydropower fragments river ecosystems.
• Nature-based carbon offsetting can lead to 'mitigation deterrence,' where emitters use offsets to avoid reducing fossil fuel emissions, which ultimately harms biodiversity by accelerating global warming.
• A significant barrier to synergistic finance is the risk of double- or triple-counting, where OECD DAC members report the same activity as both climate and biodiversity finance using Rio Markers.
• The authors recommend that the IPBES and IPCC collaborate on a joint assessment of biodiversity and climate change to close existing knowledge gaps.
• At the national level, Colombia and Panama are cited as examples of integrating climate and biodiversity planning; Colombia's revised NBSAP aligns four of six national targets with its NDC and integrates biodiversity governance into the National Climate Change System (SISCLIMA).

APA

Fernández, E. F., Suárez, J. P. S., & Bénard-Tertrais, X. (2025). A CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING POLICY COHERENCE AND SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY REGIMES. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250227-Policy-Brief-Sinergias-Clima-Biodiversidad.pdf

Chicago

Fernández, Edgar Fernández, Juan Pablo Sierra Suárez, and Ximena Bénard-Tertrais. A CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING POLICY COHERENCE AND SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY REGIMES. Transforma, 2025. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250227-Policy-Brief-Sinergias-Clima-Biodiversidad.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fernández |first1=Edgar Fernández |last2=Suárez |first2=Juan Pablo Sierra |last3=Bénard-Tertrais |first3=Ximena |title=A CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING POLICY COHERENCE AND SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY REGIMES |publisher=Transforma |date=April 2025 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250227-Policy-Brief-Sinergias-Clima-Biodiversidad.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fernndez2025contribution, author = {Fernández, Edgar Fernández and Suárez, Juan Pablo Sierra and Bénard-Tertrais, Ximena}, title = {{A CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING POLICY COHERENCE AND SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY REGIMES}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/250227-Policy-Brief-Sinergias-Clima-Biodiversidad.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }