Davos, 29 January
2010 - The environment was a prominent theme
at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, one month after the UN climate
conference in Copenhagen demonstrated that
global leadership is essential to reverse
global warming.
Biodiversity preservation
was identified as critical first step to
tackling climate change in Copenhagen, and
this week in Davos world leaders discussed
practical actions that will allow countries
to move beyond rhetoric.
Speaking at a session
on biodiversity at Davos on Thursday, Pavan
Sukhdev, study leader for UNEP's The Economics
of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project
urged policy-makers to recognize the significance
of biodiversity as natural capital, not
only as a crucial support for human well-being,
but also as a means for delivering value
to the economy.
On Saturday, United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive
Director Achim Steiner talked about the
crucial importance of investing in our natural
capital when he presented at a panel discussion
titled Rethinking the Global Commons: Biodiversity
II.
The Reduced Emissions
from Deforestation and forest Degradation
(REDD) scheme, in particular, has the potential
to be a big global solution to ecosystem
losses and climate change.
Other environmental
issues on the agenda in Davos included 'Practical
Ways Forward after Copenhagen', 'Rebuilding
the governance landscape for sustainable
consumption' and 'Catalysing a new vision
for agriculture'.
