SCIENTIFIC OUTCOME OF THE IPBES-IPCC CO-SPONSORED WORKSHOP ON BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE 2 IPBES-IPCC CO-SPONSORED WORKSHOP REPORT ON BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

International scientific workshop reportClimate change and biodiversity loss aretwo of the most pressing issues of theAnthropocene. While there is recognitionin both scientific and policy-making circlesthat the two are interconnected, in practicethey are largely addressed in their owndomains. The research community dedicated to investigatingthe climate system is somewhat, but not completely, distinctfrom that which studies biodiversity. Each issue has its owninternational Convention (the UN Framework Conventionon Climate Change and the Convention on BiologicalDiversity), and each has an intergovernmental body whichassesses available knowledge (the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC) and the IntergovernmentalPlatform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)).This functional separation creates a risk of incompletelyidentifying, understanding and dealing with the connectionsbetween the two. In the worst case it may lead to takingactions that inadvertently prevent the solution of one or theother, or both issues. It is the nature of complex systemsthat they have unexpected outcomes and thresholds, butalso that the individual parts cannot be managed in isolationfrom one another. The joint IPBES-IPCC workshop set outto explore these complex and multiple connections betweenclimate and biodiversity. This workshop and its reportrepresent the first ever joint collaboration between the twointergovernmental bodies and therefore a landmark activity inboth of their histories.The scientific community has been working for some time onthe synergies and trade-offs between climate and biodiversity.Examples of a synergy include an action taken to protectbiodiversity that simultaneously contributes to the mitigationof climate change; or an action increasing the capacity ofspecies or ecosystems to adapt to those climate changesthat cannot be avoided. In contrast, negative trade-offs canresult, for instance, if an action taken to mitigate climate change by using the land or ocean to absorb greenhousegases results in loss of biodiversity or the supply ofother nature-linked benefits that flow from the affectedecosystems. Only by considering climate and biodiversityas parts of the same complex problem, which also includesthe actions and motivations and aspirations of people,can solutions be developed that avoid maladaptation andmaximize the beneficial outcomes. Seeking such solutions isimportant if society wants to protect development gains andexpedite the move towards a more sustainable, healthy andequitable world for all. The role of science in addressing thecurrent pandemic illustrates how science can inform policyand society for identifying possible solutions.As members of the scientific steering committee, we areproud to have contributed to this first ever collaborationbetween IPCC and IPBES. Our first task was to selectfrom our respective communities a diverse and world-classset of leading experts from around the world, and to thenguide their work. It has been challenging to complete thisprocess during the COVID-19 pandemic, and timelineswere moved and revisited many times. What was originallygoing to be a physical workshop in May 2020 hosted by theUnited Kingdom with co-sponsorship from Norway, endedup being a workshop held on-line in December 2020. Theexperts have adjusted remarkably well to these changesand, to compensate for the inability to meet in person,have dedicated much time and effort to this project, andheld vigorous and challenging remote discussions with oneanother, ahead and during the workshop and to prepare theworkshop report and associated scientific outcome.As explained in the disclaimer on the first page of thisdocument, this is a workshop report, not an assessment.It is nevertheless a scientific document, which has beensubject to peer-review by 24 external experts selected bythe scientific steering committee of the workshop, providing an objective representation, synthesis and explanation ofthe published body of work. While being a workshop reportand as such not fully comprehensive, the report summarizesthe emerging state of knowledge to inform decision-makingand helps to point the way towards solutions for society andalso for scientific research by identifying knowledge gaps tobe filled.Our hope is that this co-sponsored workshop report andthe associated scientific outcome will provide an importantinput into ongoing and future assessments by both IPCCand IPBES, and be of relevance to discussions held inthe context of COP 15 of CBD and COP 26 of UNFCCCboth, in principle, held in 2021. Connecting the climate andbiodiversity spheres is especially crucial at this momentwhen the world seems to be gearing up for stronger actionson both. Urgent, timely and targeted actions can minimizedetrimental trends and counteract escalating risks whileavoiding costly and effort-sapping errors. Humankind hasno time to lose and we hope that this report will inform suchurgent actions toward “The Future We Want”