INTRODUCTION – Why is this a Global Justice Issue?
“Nature makes human development possible but our relentless demand for the earth’s resources is accelerating extinction rates and devastating the world’s ecosystems.”
– Joyce Msuya, Acting Head, UN Environment
A 2019 UN report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has found that nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. Biodiversity is very much a Human Rights issue. The loss of biodiversity can have catastrophic impacts on human health and wellbeing including at a very basic level access to food and clean water. The report highlights the impacts of the biodiversity crisis on society with current trends indicating biodiversity and ecosystem services will undermine the progress towards 80% of the targets within the sustainable development goals (Global Goals).