A landmark new report, launched today by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), offers decision-makers around the world the most ambitious scientific assessment ever undertaken of these complex interconnections. Mario Herrero, professor of global development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), served as coordinating lead author of report’s chapter on solutions, and a drafting team member of the summary for policy makers and the synthesis.
The Assessment Report on the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health – known as the Nexus Report – explores more than five dozen specific response options to maximize co-benefits across five ‘nexus elements’: biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change. The summary for policymakers is available now, and the full report will be available in early 2025.
“While global food production has increased significantly over the past decades, it has come at a cost—biodiversity loss, health risks, higher water consumption, poorer water quality, and increased contributions to climate change,” said Herrero, who is also a Cornell Atkinson Scholar, Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences, and director of Food Systems & Global Change at Cornell.
“If we fail to consider these interconnected challenges, solutions are likely to lead to unintended negative consequences," Herrero added.
