GENEVA, Switzerland — May 6, 2019: The United Nations IPBES' 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is another one in a long line of warnings about the state of our planet. It should be clear that we face multiple interacting environmental stresses, and these are intensifying. Profound environmental, economic and political changes will likely define the next decade and beyond.
“Now is the time to bring attention to how we handle the risk of a large-scale systemic failure if all mitigation efforts fall flat and sustainable goals are not met in time”, said David Korowicz, GGI’s Director for Risk and Response.
The GGI is hosting an on-the-record teleconference to further discuss this, open to journalists and parties focused on these issues on Wednesday, May 8, at 4:00 pm Central European Time (IST 8:00 pm). The call is open to the public, but RSVP is required at Rachel@morrisseypr.com.
Governments and multilateral institutions will need to develop more integrated and concrete preparedness strategies for whole-society responses. Businesses must focus on creating more copying solutions. Activists and philanthropists must begin to think beyond currently common notions of nature conservation, sustainability and resilience.
GGI Board Chair George Lehner praised the report’s findings as “important for broadening the coordinated engagement of stakeholders who can help forestall cascading effects on economic, political and social systems”.
GGI proposes that an integrated international response is developed to the increasingly recognized but as yet poorly addressed predicament.