To avert climate catastrophe we need science without borders and radical collaboration

9 Oct 2024

The effects of climate change and nature loss know no borders. They are global phenomena and the future of our planet hinges on our ability to radically collaborate across borders, disciplines and sectors.

We are at a critical juncture in human history. The clock is ticking, and the consequences of our actions – or inaction – are more evident than ever.

Climate change and nature loss threaten not only our environment but also our social structures, economies and very way of life. To confront this crisis we must embrace two fundamental principles: radical collaboration and science without boundaries. This, I believe, is the only way to avert a catastrophe and forge peace with nature.

While I do not doubt our ability as human beings to rise to this challenge, let us be under no illusion – this is the greatest existential threat we will collectively face.

Continued increases in surface temperatures globally have led to widespread devastation and damage to both nature and people, the likes of which may have seemed unfathomable, were they not happening before our very eyes.

And it is vulnerable communities – many of whom are here in Africa and who have historically contributed the least to current climate change – that continue to be disproportionately affected.

In Ethiopia, the 2024 El Niño season, exacerbated by climate change, has brought both drought and extreme flooding, leaving us under no illusion that this is a humanitarian catastrophe as much as it is an environmental one.

As a result of this weather pattern it is projected that over the course of 2024, almost one million children will have suffered from acute malnutrition and about 350,000 pregnant and lactating women will be malnourished.

Of course, it is not just my home feeling the effects. Similarly, drastic weather events are repeating themselves up and down the continent.

This climate crisis is in turn exacerbating the nature crisis and threatening Africa’s vital natural capital. The IUCN estimates that 6,400 animal species and 3,100 plant species are at risk of extinction, and 20% of Africa’s land surface is estimated to be degraded due to soil erosion, salinisation, pollution and loss of vegetation.

The Congo Basin – one of the world’s lungs – is losing an estimated 500,000 to 1.2 million hectares of tropical forest every year, resulting in a 30% decline in tree cover across large stretches of the African tropics. And our Blue Economy – once projected to grow to $405-billion by 2030 – is now contracting by an estimated 30%.

The $20-billion a year in international nature financing does not constitute charity but a shift towards an equitable future where the abundant resources of the Global South are valued and paid for.

It is abundantly clear to me that the effects of climate change and nature loss know no borders. They are global phenomena, spanning countries and continents, and therefore our solutions must transcend national interests and political divides. The future of our planet hinges on our ability to radically collaborate across borders, disciplines and sectors.

We moved one step closer to the radical collaboration required to tackle these issues through the historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

For many it brought a renewed sense of optimism. The flagship “30×30” target was perhaps one of the most encouraging, with 196 parties agreeing to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 – a goal which, if achieved, would have significant implications for climate action as well as nature conservation.

In that same year governments finally agreed to a Loss and Damage Fund at the climate COP – a relief to many of us in the Global South who have felt the immense pressure of protecting the world’s most precious ecosystems while trying to grow economies sustainably, feed our people, educate our children and end insecurity, all against the backdrop of climate-induced catastrophes.

But words are one thing, and actions quite another.

To truly meet the challenge I have outlined, lip service will not cut it. We must break down the barriers that hinder the free flow of information and expertise and engage communities in the conversation. We must empower citizens to take part in scientific inquiry and action. We must prioritise funding community-driven projects that harness local insights, create resilience and inspire grassroots movements.

And we need to listen to indigenous peoples and local communities, amplify their voices in our scientific discourse and integrate traditional knowledge with modern science.

In doing so we can develop holistic solutions that respect both our environment and the cultures that inhabit it. This collaborative spirit is at the heart of Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation, and it must be our guiding principle as we continue to tackle climate change and nature loss head-on.

Our planet’s future now depends on our willingness to work together, to transcend boundaries, and to put our shared humanity first.

Of course, all of this comes with a price – the biodiversity funding gap alone is estimated to be $700-billion, a figure that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed to close, in part by ensuring that international financing from developed to developing countries increases to at least $20-billion per year by 2025 and at least $30-billion per year by 2030.

Crucially, this $20-billion a year in international nature financing does not constitute charity but a shift towards an equitable future where the abundant resources of the Global South are valued and paid for.

It is an investment, not a cost – and one that will create high economic returns and avoid massively accelerating future costs associated with the global existential threat of climate change and nature loss.

I am under no illusion that the road ahead of us is ambitious, but I am committed to doing my part through the Hailemariam and Roman Foundation’s Climate-Smart Conservation and Ecotourism Programme, and others must join me and push for more science without boundaries, increased finance and radical collaboration.

There is an Ethiopian proverb that says: “The one who is mistaken is the one who does nothing.” For too long the world stood by and did nothing and we are now in the 11th hour.

Our planet’s future now depends on our willingness to work together, to transcend boundaries, and to put our shared humanity first.

Together we can create a world where innovation flourishes, where knowledge flows freely, and where humanity learns to coexist with nature rather than exploit it. DM

Hailemariam Desalegn is the former prime minister of Ethiopia. This is an edited version of his opening address to the Oppenheimer Research Conference, a three-day climate and nature research gathering.

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