Conference Agenda

Presenters:

Philippe Tulkens, European Commission DG RTD

Alejandro Caparrós, Durham University

Stale Navrud, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Katinka Holtsmark, University of Oslo

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, also known as Rio "Earth Summit", was one of the first global attempt to address the interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation (IPBES, 2019). Three decades later, the need for action has dramatically increased. Global temperatures have already risen by 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels (IPCC, 2022), significantly altering marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems all around the world (Dasgupta, 2021; FAO, 2024). Building on this urgency, parties at COP29 in Baku agreed a deal on rules for a global market to buy and sell carbon credits. These new agreement opens vast opportunities for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into carbon markets, further enhancing their role in climate change mitigation. COP30 in Belém, besides bringing together countries in Brazil after more than 30 years from Rio 1992, presents a crucial opportunity to build on the momentum from COP29, uniting the Global North and South in strengthening partnerships. In such an arena, how can carbon markets be designed to benefit climate action and biodiversity preservation? And how can Europe best support Global South in biodiversity protection at this critical juncture?

The session, organized by the Policy Outreach Committee, will focus on two key topics as we approach COP30.

First, building on the IPBES-IPCC previous studies on biodiversity and climate (IPBES, 2021), it will explore how biodiversity and ecosystem services can be integrated into climate action, focusing particularly on carbon credit systems that help both mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity.

The session will also discuss how to strengthen cooperation between the Global North and South, building on the progress made at COP29. Special attention will be given to Europe’s role in supporting biodiversity protection in the Global South through financial support and capacity- building, aiming to create more equitable and collaborative global solutions to climate challenges.