Views from the Waters Edge We asked three prominent independent experts to assess where the world stands at the end of 2021 on wetlands and climate change. Here are their responses.
Why is getting nature right central to fixing climate? Nature is the buffer between human development and climate. Ecosystems can absorb manmade emissions, and their biodiversity helps us to adapt better to climate change. But climate change threatens that, because it damages habitats, causing ecological losses that untimely impact humanity’s chances of survival. How important are wetlands to this? Wetlands are a versatile way to harness nature for fighting climate change. Around 40 percent of all species live or Ting Wang is a youth advocate for wetlands and a landscape researcher at The University of Hong Kong Why is getting nature right central to fixing climate? Nature and climate are part of a virtuously reinforcing dynamic and cannot be addressed separately. Functioning forests, oceans, and wetlands store large amounts of carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Likewise, limiting carbon dioxide emissions would help control the acidification of the oceans and protect marine biodiversity. Fixing one requires fixing the other. How important are wetlands to this? This mutually beneficial relationship is reflected in wetlands. Adequate climate conditions underpin healthy wetlands, while wetlands provide ecological services that limit climate change and help adapt to its effects. For instance, wetlands act as sponges during floods, absorbing excess water for slow release later.
breed in wetlands, including rivers, mangroves, peatlands, and tidal mudflats. Wetlands stabilize coastlines, protect human settlements against extreme weather events, reduce the risk of soil erosion, and capture and store carbon to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. However, their potential has too often been neglected. Mangroves forests of Southeast Asia have been drained and dammed, as have the marshlands of South America and the swamps of Central Africa. Did the world make progress in 2021, and what are your hopes for 2022? 2021 started with a series of catastrophic extreme weather events, such as fires in California, but more hopefully, ended with a compromise deal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. We are running out of time, but we should be motivated by hope, based on ambition and collaboration across the generations. The world’s youth are key allies for wetlands. Their innovative participation is necessary to place nature conservation into a broader political, economic, and ecological framework.
soils, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The consequent climate change is a threat to the survival of natural ecosystems worldwide. Therefore, we must protect pristine ecosystems and restore damaged ones. However, we should not overestimate the capacity of nature in mitigating climate change. Even when optimally treated, ecosystems can only contribute; they cannot solve the climate problem. Most of the job we must do ourselves, by reducing anthropogenic emissions almost to zero. How important are wetlands to this? Wetlands are disproportionally important, because peatlands, mangroves, saltmarshes and seagrass meadows are the ecosystems that worldwide have the highest carbon density and have the highest rates of carbon capture. Conversely, their destruction also releases enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. Peatlands are the global champions in this respect. We have to stop them from acting as a substantial source of emissions – by protecting and where necessary rewetting and restoring them.
Hans Joosten is a world authority on
Did the world make progress in 2021, and what are your hopes for 2022?
Did the world make progress in 2021, and what are your hopes for 2022?
peatlands and co-founder of the Greifswald Mire Centre, Germany
Over 2021, the awareness of the importance of wetlands, and especially peatlands, has substantially increased, among scientists, politicians, and policymakers. The bad news is that the urgency for action is rapidly increasing because we have less and less time to keep climate change within tolerable limits. The good news is that we know better and better what to do scientifically, technically, and politically. During 2022, we should launch global actions for peatlands and other high-carbon wetlands.
Definitely! We progressed towards defining clear common goals uniting climate, nature, and ethical considerations. We also set specific and time-bound targets for nature: zero net loss of nature from 2020, nature positive by 2030, and full recovery by 2050. These are beacons for society. However, until we act on them, we will keep losing natural treasures. I wish for a world where the values of wetlands for nature, climate, and humanity are recognised, and where wetlands have been restored to a thriving state.
Andre Hoffmann is a Swiss businessman, environmentalist and philanthropist, the son of pioneer wetlands activist Luc Hoffmann
Why is getting nature right central to fixing climate? The destruction of natural ecosystems, such as the draining of peatlands, deforestation, and the ploughing of steppe
48
49
Wetlands International Annual Review 2021
Wetlands International Annual Review 2021
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online