Beyond the Hotspot – What Vietnam Can Teach Us About Biodiversity

Central Annamites Mountains, courtesy of Indochina Legend

Biodiversity hotspots, according to Conservation International, are, “the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth.” These islands of natural abundance cover less than 3% of the Earth’s surface yet host a stunning array of plant and animal life. Imperiled by the twin threats of habitat loss and climate change, hotspots may be ground zero for the jump in extinctions that is widely believed to be looming.  Amid the busy schedule of upcoming summits such as COP-15, the best hope for prioritizing the preservation of biodiversity may hinge upon adoption of a more pragmatic approach to negotiation.  Stressing the favorable impact of forested land on reducing temperatures and providing food and economic security to the broader community, may prove a more persuasive argument than preservation for the sake of exotic plant and animal life.

Vietnam provides an excellent example of how biodiversity preservation may be tied to the larger climate change and economic policy debates. A WWF Vietnam study has found that the Central Annamites forests in Vietnam have been steadily losing biodiversity as they are degraded by climate change and human encroachment. As forests recede, loss of biodiversity creates a cascade effect that ultimately harms local rice, soybean, fish and fruit harvests thereby reducing the food security of the surrounding communities. It is these considerations, and not the plight of comparatively obscure hotspot species that will be in negotiators’ minds as they sit down at Copenhagen. Combined with the assertion, made by scientists such as Nguyen Ninh in this study, that biodiversity may be a powerful mitigation tool, policymakers and environmentalists need to confront the reality that hotspots, which capture the imagination, may be less useful for climate progress than the forests and fields that drive the global economy.

The Obama Adminstration and Climate Change: An OverviewCLi

As President Obama and his advisers unveil their plans for the coming term, one thing seems certain: the new administration will usher in a sea change for climate change policy in the United States. For the first time, America is led by an executive who understands the perils of climate change and is committed to doing something about it.

The President’s new energy plan is unmistakably clear: “Global warming is real, is happening now, and is the result of human activities.” Among the plan’s ambitious goals:

Barack Obama Delivers Speech on Energy Efficiency

• An 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,

• A 100% auction cap-and-trade program, estimated to raise $646 billion in revenue

by 2019,

• Significant spending on alternative energy, efficiency research and implementation;

• Reengagement with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),

• A new forum for large greenhouse gas emitters including the G-8 nations plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa; and

• A new focus on reforestation and carbon sequestration.

Releasing this plan within his first month in office is a sure signal to the United States and to the world that confronting climate change is front-and-center of Obama’s legislative priorities. Even the $787 billion stimulus package includes several “green” provisions, with great potential to spur progress in climate change and energy research.

Climate change experts and foreign leaders internationally, however, are approaching the new administration with cautious optimism, but reporters at the December 2008 UNFCCC talks in Poland found international representatives hopeful that Obama’s “yes we can” mentality would carry over to the field of climate change. Acknowledging the higher concentration of climate skeptics in the U.S., Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nonetheless said, “What’s happened in this country in the last two years is encouraging. The president is now strongly interested in this issue. Congress is dominated by Democrats who are also interested.” Foreign leaders, many of whom have taken political risks such as Mexico’s pledge to halve its emissions, will surely expect the U.S. to follow suit.

Barack Obama Meets with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

International outreach and collaboration are indeed on the current Administration’s agenda. Obama met with Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper in February to discuss climate change and Canada’s controversial plans to exploit their oil sands. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her “maiden voyage”, met with counterparts in China and emphasized cooperation on climate change and clean energy, especially considering the United States and China combined emit approximately 40% of the world’s total greenhouse gases. Grist’s environmental blog highlights a roundup

of the administration’s efforts to date, prospects for future climate change policy, and analyses of obstacles as well as allies in the House, Senate, industry and nonprofits.

To our international readers, what seems to be the general consensus regarding the U.S. Administration’s energy policy and Clinton’s visits to Japan, China, South Korea, and Indonesia? What strategies should the Administration pursue to mitigate climate change, and how can the Administration integrate efforts into those of the international community?