A delegation from BirdLife International and BirdLife partners in 19 countries, which is currently attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, demanded that world leaders agree on concrete targets over the next two weeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recognise the importance of nature conservation in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The BirdLife International partnership stated that any global deal agreed in Copenhagen must address five vital actions (1) including; cutting carbon emissions to limit temperature rises to less than 2°C, stopping deforestation and nature destruction, providing funding to developing countries to support low carbon development, and prevent developed countries from hiding emissions whilst claiming credit for carbon storage.

BirdLife stated that healthy ecosystems play a vital role in climate change adaptation through protecting the natural resource base, providing alternative livelihood options, and maintaining resilience to future climate. By conserving habitats rich in carbon, such as forests and peat lands, the world can ensure that carbon remains stored in these ecosystems and also continues to be sequestered from the atmosphere.

BirdLife has joined a consortium of around 500 environment and development NGOs, the Climate Action Network, which is working to limit climate change to sustainable levels and is calling for a fair, ambitious, and binding deal in Copenhagen.

Photograph shows the destruction of rainforests, such as the Harapan rainforest in Sumatra (pictured above) contributes to global warming by reducing the earth’s ability to neutralize carbon gases. Clare Kendall (RSPB-images.com).

BirdLife’s five questions for the world leaders in Copenhagen:

1. Cut global emissions by the amount needed to limit global average temperature rises to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Developed countries should take the lead in cutting emissions, but rapidly industrialising developing nations must act too. Global emissions must peak and decline well before 2020, and go to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Industrialised countries must take on targets of 40% reductions below 1990 levels by 2020.

2. Recognise the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems and the essential services they provide in climate change mitigation, in particular, reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Tropical deforestation accounts for 15-20% of all human-induced emissions, and must be reduced to zero by 2020. REDD should prioritise conservation of natural tropical forests because they are the most carbon dense, and must exclude conversion of natural forests to industrial forests or plantations. REDD must include provisions which ensure conservation of biodiversity because it is the plants and animals in natural forests that help create their carbon density. REDD must respect, support and promote the rights of local and indigenous peoples.

3. Recognise the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems and the essential services they provide in climate change adaptation. Healthy bio-diverse environments play a vital role in maintaining and increasing resilience to climate change. Copenhagen outcomes should encompass taking an ecosystem approach to all adaptation, should refer to the direct use of ecosystems as part of a strategy to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, and should recognise vulnerable ecosystems as a priority concern.

4. Provide funding for developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation, enable adaptation to climate change, and support low-carbon development. At least $200 billion will be needed annually by 2020, including $35 billion for REDD, and $100 billion to enable developing countries to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change.

5. Ensure that when developed countries account for their land-use sectors they account fully for carbon emissions to and removals from the atmosphere. Current rules enable countries to hide emissions whilst claiming credit for carbon storage, and the rules proposed in Copenhagen are shaping up to be even worse than the old ones.