Dossier on the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cancún (CBD COP 13)

Mainstreaming Biodiversity was the central motto of the Cancún conference taking place 4-17 December, 2016. The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung followed the negotiations in Mexico particularly on the issues of Synthetic Biology, New Economy of Nature and Geoengineering.

Accompanying material: Synthetic Biology

Synthetic Biology and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will hold its 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Mexico in December 2016. This briefing explains why synthetic biology is threatening all objectives of the CBD unless the parties act on five key issues.

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Accompanying material: new economy of nature

New Economy of Nature

How did forests become ‚natural capital‘? Our web dossier illustrates what the concept of the „New Economy of Nature“ stands for and explains nature’s role in the Green Economy and why this approach has been of increased interest to economy and politics recently.

Valuation and monetisation of nature – No thanks!

We don’t need any “reconciliation of the economy and ecology”. Instead, we should be saying no to destructive and exploitative projects and policies - and yes to a repoliticisation of environmental debate.

By Barbara Unmüßig

Little Red Flying Foxes (Pteropus Scapulatus) Boonah, Qld.

New units of measure of market-compliant nature within the Green Economy

Trade with compensation credits is a prime example of how abstractions influence environmental policy. The astonishing reduction of unique habitats to a few measurable indicators is a prerequisite for trading biodiversity offsets.

Accompanying material: Geoengineering

A change of course - How to build a fair future in a 1.5° world

In Paris in 2015 governments agreed to keep global warming to well below 2 degrees. The mainstream pathways pin theirhopes to risky and costly technologies. In this joint publication, together with Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Misereor, we present alternatives that are possible and necessary for a change of course.

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Last-ditch climate option or wishful thinking?

This report summarises the key evidence which must be considered about BECCS. It looks at the overwhelmingly destructive impacts of existing large-scale bioenergy production and use and the implications of massively scaling it up, as would be required for a global BECCS programme.

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