Op-Ed (Published in El Pais)

Can we avoid a climate catastrophe?

The daughter of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente recalls that the recommendations of scientists are clear: we must abandon fossil fuels and reach a neutral society in 2050

When my father, Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, began his campaign to save Iberian wildlife over forty years ago, emblematic species such as the wolf, bear, lynx and imperial eagle were on the verge of extinction. Today their populations are recovering, despite difficulties inherent to the Iberian Peninsula. Our protected areas have played an extraordinary role in preventing their extinction. We need to expand these areas, for the good of all.

In 2019 we know that this concern for nature conservation must be global if we intend to save the planet. This December, here in Madrid, my father’s vision and that of other environmental pioneers has been the focus of worldwide attention during the Climate Summit (COP25). Science confirms they were right. Now we will see if their voices are heard.

At the summit’s inauguration, the heads of government delivered predictable speeches demanding more action. Some of them even promised actions at the national level with the global objective of not exceeding the threshold of 1.5 degrees (or, in the worst case, 2 degrees) above pre-industrial average temperatures. But if we add up all of the national policies to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, we fall short, and by quite a lot.

The United Nations warns that we could lose up to one million species in the coming decades, as well as the decline of hundreds of ecosystems

The recommendations of scientists are clear: we must abandon fossil fuels and achieve a climate- neutral society by 2050. If we are disturbed by the extreme weather events we are already experiencing, the prospect of a world beyond 2 degrees is terrifying. However, at this point, considering the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the lack of time, reducing emissions is not enough. We must sequester this gas from the atmosphere and nature can lend us a hand.

Earth System science studies the planet as a complex self-regulating system, within which life interacts with physical and chemical components on a global scale. The relentless degradation of biodiversity and ecosystems leaves this amazing interwoven planetary system more vulnerable to stressors, such as the vertiginous increase of greenhouse gases, leading to a collapse of the planet’s life support system. What were once natural allies in maintaining the ideal temperatures of the Holocene may now become adversaries that shift from absorbing these gases to emitting them.

A growing number of studies show how global warming - along with the loss of natural habitats and pollution - is causing reductions never seen before in the abundance of mammals, birds, insects, and plants. A United Nations report warns that we could lose up to one million species in the coming decades, as well as the decline of hundreds of ecosystems.

But if nature is a victim of climate change, how can it help us fight it? Precisely because a healthy biosphere is the only one that can ensure those ideal conditions for life. With the same urgency that we reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, we must invest in restoring poor ecosystems and protecting those that are in good condition.

On the one hand, these healthy ecosystems will help slow climate change, absorbing much of the carbon pollution we release into the atmosphere. Reputed innovators are attempting to create technologies to absorb the carbon dioxide we emit. But these technologies already exist: they are called plants.

Forests, grasslands, marshes, ocean plankton, mangroves, seagrasses, and other intact ecosystems capture more than a third of our carbon dioxide pollution through the miracle of photosynthesis. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and use the sun’s energy to separate carbon – which they use to create organic molecules – from oxygen – released back into the atmosphere.

On the other hand, everything we need to survive —the food we eat, the oxygen we breath and the clean water we drink— depends on the work of other species. Without them, there would be no “us”.

The Government of Spain should activate a national plan for recovery and restoration of all our natural ecosystems

On land, the greatest cause of species loss is habitat destruction, due to factors such as urbanization and logging, among others. At sea, it is the massive extraction of animals through fishing, as well as pollution through plastics and other toxic substances. Protected areas – such as national parks, nature reserves and marine reserves – are the best mechanism in the short term to prevent these losses, especially when done in collaboration with indigenous peoples and local communities. For example, in marine reserves where fishing is prohibited, the abundance of fish is an average of six times higher compared to adjacent unprotected areas. How much more should be protected in order to recover planetary equilibrium?

Studies show that if we protect what is left of natural habitat and restore much of the lands we have weakened, through reforestation and the reintroduction of native species, nature could capture up to half of our emissions. In other words, we need a minimum of half of the planet in its natural state, with functional ecosystems that provide all of the services we currently benefit from and that give Earth’s living system the resilience it needs to face the impact of a growing human population. The Campaign for Nature led by the National Geographic Society and the Wyss Foundation recommends we begin by protecting at least 30% of the planet – land and sea – by 2030, as a necessary target on our path to 2050.

However, currently only 15% of the earth’s landmass and 7% of the ocean are protected. In Spain, 14.6% of the landmass is protected and despite the government’s claim that 12% of marine area is protected, currently less than 1% of our waters are fully off limits to fishing. We have much work to do. But the opportunities are vast.

In the past 40 years since my father began his campaign on the Iberian Peninsula, grazing areas and marginally productive agricultural lands have been abandoned to the point that a large percentage of our country’s square kilometers now represent an opportunity to restore it to its former state. Recovering the wildlife my father helped us fall in love with is not only an ecological necessity. It could also generate a source of quality ecotourism and a recovery of sustainable agricultural practices with native varieties and breeds, creating employment and revitalizing now defunct local economies.

The Government of Spain must enact a national plan to recover and restore all of our natural ecosystems. It also now has the opportunity to lead the initiative at the global level, joining the call to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030.

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Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente is a filmmaker, activist and environmentalist and former CEO of the Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente Foundation.