Abstract:

Background & Aims: Abnormal climate change significantly affects biodiversity, while biodiversity loss also affects the climate system. Addressing the issues of climate change and biodiversity in isolation is insufficient, as there exists a strong coupling relationship between them. Despite their interconnectedness, achieving synergistic governance between biodiversity and climate change encounters several challenges. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) primarily regulates climate change, focusing on a greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate adaptation. Simultaneously, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) oversees organisms and strives to maintain biodiversity sustainability. Since their inception, UNFCCC and CBD have been interlinked, with complementary objectives that necessitate a collaborative approach for their successful implementation. However, to effectively address these global concerns, it is crucial to enhance the synergy between UNFCCC and CBD. This paper examines the existing synergy between the two conventions from the perspective of international law aiming to support the resolution of the interwined challenges presented by climate change and biodiversity loss.

Review Results: From the current status of synergy between UNFCCC and CBD, we can find problems of synergy between UNFCCC and CBD as follows, insufficient response, one-way response and notable fragmentation in compliance mechanisms during their collaborative efforts.

Recommendations: Based on this, this paper takes a holistic systems approach as its theoretical framework. It puts forth recommendations for enhancing synergistic governance of biodiversity and climate change, taking into account both theoretical and practical considerations. It suggests fostering coordination between the two conventions, promoting the implementation of nature-based solutions, exploring diversified financing mechanisms, and developing long-term strategies.

Key words: biodiversity, climate change response, UNFCCC, CBD, synergistic governance