Climate taz
Biodiversity: The solution lies on the mountain pastures
In order to save the vital miniature livestock, agriculture and forestry need to be rethought. More forests and moors instead of fertilizer and animal breeding. more...
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T he UN Nature Conservation Conference in Yerevan, Armenia, warrants all attention because its topic is enormous. It's about humanity's basis for survival, about fertile soils, clean water, clean air. Scientists have been preaching for years that they will only continue to be available to us in the future if we preserve nature as a diverse system.
Partridges, tigers, elephants – they are the striking ambassadors for the invisible and often inconspicuous creatures that ensure our nutrition. They contribute to a stable climate and form the basis for the abundance of fish in the sea. The negotiations must be followed closely as the member states of the agreement want to determine how they can finally achieve their self-imposed goals from the “Global Biodiversity Framework”.
But oh. Anyone who could really do that is not at the negotiating table. The main drivers of the loss of biodiversity worldwide are misguided agriculture and forestry. Too many farm animals, too much fertilizer, too many agricultural poisons. If we want to stop the destruction of our livelihoods, we have to change that and eat differently in richer countries. Less meat, more plants.
The taz is an independent, left-wing and opinionated daily newspaper. We have been arguing in our comments, essays and debate texts since the taz was founded in 1979. We often cannot and do not want to agree on an opinion. That's why you'll find some completely opposing positions here - all part of the very broad left-wing spectrum of opinions.
Then we need less space, leaving more for forests, meadows and moors. We have to cultivate the fields themselves more carefully - and we are also welcome to seek advice from scientists. Many of them are committed to protecting biodiversity and the climate and rely on new methods, including genetic engineering.
How this could be used sensibly and profitably for all of humanity is also being discussed in Yerevan. As long as the big pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics companies are happy to benefit from biodiversity, but do not feel responsible for its preservation and fair use, and as long as the agriculture ministers see themselves primarily as lobbyists for their agricultural industry, the results of the UN conference are only on paper and will not be reflected in the wider world. But documenting this is also worth something.