Justin Addison (UK delegation to the OSCE) highlights the effect
of biodiversity loss on peace and prosperity, exacerbated by
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
"Thank you, Chair; good morning colleagues; and thank you to all
the speakers for their presentations.
As we have heard from the panellists and my fellow delegates
biodiversity loss threatens not only the natural world but also
the security and prosperity of all our societies. Of the
challenges identified in the UK’s Integrated Review,
climate change and biodiversity loss are recognised as the most
serious multipliers of global threats such as food and water
insecurity, displacement of people, conflict, and economic
instability. And these multipliers are only set to worsen over
the next decade.
Nowhere is this threat more apparent than in Ukraine, where
President Putin’s illegal invasion is devastating the country’s
biodiversity. We heard Mr Fedorenko provide some details earlier
about biodiversity loss in Ukraine. Ukraine is home to 35% of
Europe’s biodiversity; many of its 70,000 species of fauna and
flora are rare and endemic. Rather than preserving this rich
ecosystem, Russia is destroying it.
Deliberate shelling of the country’s forests, land and marine
ecosystems, industrial facilities, and infrastructure has caused
widespread and severe damage. Wanton destruction of wetlands
threatens fish species and migratory birds. Forests are littered
with destroyed military vehicles, whilst forest fires are leading
to the loss of ancient woodlands. Overall, an estimated 900
protected natural areas have been affected. Many of these issues
are transboundary, with the environmental impacts felt beyond
Ukraine’s borders for decades to come.
While the immediate focus of any conflict is rightly on human
casualties, we are grateful to the OSCE, Ukraine’s government,
and civil society for ensuring environmental impacts are not
forgotten. We are pleased to support the OCEEA’s project to
assess the environmental impacts of the war against Ukraine.
More widely, the UK is committed to working with the OSCE and
other international partners to champion delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global
Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss
by 2030. And we will support delivery of the “30by30” target to
protect at least 30% of all land and 30% of the ocean globally by
2030. We are also delivering on our commitment to double our
International Climate Finance to £11.6 billion, including at
least £3 billion on Nature.
Mr Chair, the 2020s must be a decade of climate and nature
action. Our common security and prosperity depend upon it."
