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Call for Action
Young Europeans calling for action for biodiversity conservation
Biodiversity is life; it is essential to the lives of current and future generations. BAE believes humankind can still learn to stop the over exploitation of nature which is leading to our own extinction. We greatly appreciate the EU’s launch of the EU Green Deal and the ways it is taking shape through the Biodiversity Strategy, Farm 2 Fork strategy, Circular Economy Action Plan, and others, but their success depends on their implementation.
We want these well-written intentions to leave behind a truly sustainable legacy. We call for transformative change, not for economic deals. When? Right now! We invite you, the reader, to stand behind this call for action, and support our movement, to urge the EU to commit to what is long overdue: Empower people to live in harmony with nature.
Our Call for Action urges the European Union to fundamentally address the biodiversity crisis in three specific ways: Engage with science and environmental agreements, Enforce existing laws and regulations, and Enable society to reshape its relationship with nature.
ENGAGE
The European Union has failed to achieve significant progress towards its headline target of halting biodiversity loss and ecosystem services by 2020. The science is clear. With more than 1,000,000 species at risk of extinction, the world as we know it faces an existential threat. Yet, the solutions to reverse the biodiversity crisis are, and have been since long, right in front of us. We need to grasp this opportunity to address key sustainable pathways, to create a more compassionate and just society, as no prosperous future can be built on the crumbling foundation that is the biodiversity crisis. We therefore call for:
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The EU to engage intellectually and politically with best-available scientific and socio-economic evidence on the urgent biodiversity crisis, its impacts and mitigating measures to create ambitious, inclusive and transformative change across economic, social, political and technological sectors, to redefine our relationship with nature.
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The EU to engage with the global and regional multilateral environmental agreements, and align the EU’s priorities, across all sectors, to those outlined by global environmental conventions and their visions.
More on our call to Engage:
ENFORCE
BAE welcomes the launch of the EU Green Deal, but we don’t want deals, we call for transformative change. We are aware that the oldest European legislation on biodiversity are fit for purpose, but only on paper. Thus, the EU needs to work together with Member States on efficient implementation and enforcement mechanisms. The European Commission also has to improve its active vigilance and monitoring of this implementation. So we, BAE, demand the EU to create a system of law enforcement and accountability. We need more efficiency. We call for:
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More knowledge of Member States’ context and specific needs
to improve implementation and sincere cooperation. -
Member States to be responsible and follow through on environmental promises made.
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The creation of an effective monitoring and sanctioning system.
More on our call to Enforce:
ENABLE
We need a holistic change of the economic and financial systems to halt
biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems. By fully acknowledging the interconnection of human, planetary and economic health, we will experience a culturally and socially positive relation to nature. Next to biodiversity loss and the environmental crisis, we now face economic, social, and health crises. We call for:
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The mobilization of financial and legislative resources for biodiversity, especially for civil societies and small businesses, along with the elimination of incentives for harmful practices.
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The recognition of ecosystem services as the main driver of economic and human well-being. The current funding mechanisms do not meet the profitable, long term and self-sustaining investment potential of preserving biodiversity.
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Capacity building and empowerment of women, youth, indigenous and local communities, the less fortunate and vulnerable in the decision-making process.
More on our call to Enable:
Read our extended Call for action including references by clicking on our three demands:
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