The Opportunity to Jointly Address the Worsening Biodiversity and Climate Crises

The document highlights the critical role of infrastructure as a primary driver of both biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions, noting that 79% of global emissions are attributed to the sector. It argues that because 75% of the infrastructure expected to exist by 2050 has not yet been built, there is a time-sensitive opportunity to align new development with nature-positive and net-zero outcomes. The brief specifically advocates for the inclusion of infrastructure in the goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), proposing specific language changes to prioritize the mitigation hierarchy and the restoration of the 70% of the planet not covered by the 30% conservation target. It further recommends that countries adopt full-cost accounting for environmental externalities and increase investment in nature-based infrastructure through flexible financing mechanisms.

• Infrastructure is a dominant driver of global environmental crises, accounting for 79% of greenhouse gas emissions and contributing significantly to biodiversity loss; for instance, 95% of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon occurs within 5 kilometers of a road.
• There is a massive window for intervention in the next 15 years, as 75% of the infrastructure projected to exist by 2050 has not yet been constructed.
• The document proposes specific amendments to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to ensure infrastructure is explicitly addressed in Target 1 and Target 14, and that the mitigation hierarchy is applied to prioritize the avoidance of high-biodiversity areas.
• To achieve nature-positive outcomes, the brief recommends that countries move beyond 'do no harm' ESG standards toward mandatory biodiversity net gain and the use of full-cost accounting for environmental externalities in project cost-benefit analyses.

APA

WWF International (2022). The Opportunity to Jointly Address the Worsening Biodiversity and Climate Crises. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1128/2772rcojjy_Infrastructure_in_the_Global_Biodiversity_Framework_COP15_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. The Opportunity to Jointly Address the Worsening Biodiversity and Climate Crises. 2022. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1128/2772rcojjy_Infrastructure_in_the_Global_Biodiversity_Framework_COP15_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=The Opportunity to Jointly Address the Worsening Biodiversity and Climate Crises |date=2022 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1128/2772rcojjy_Infrastructure_in_the_Global_Biodiversity_Framework_COP15_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2022opportunity, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{The Opportunity to Jointly Address the Worsening Biodiversity and Climate Crises}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1128/2772rcojjy_Infrastructure_in_the_Global_Biodiversity_Framework_COP15_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }