For the first time, the United States designate a special diplomat to defend global biodiversity amid what policymakers here and abroad are increasingly recognizing as an extinction crisis. The Washington Post reports: Monica Medina is taking on a new role as special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, the State Department announced Wednesday. She currently serves as Deputy Secretary of the Department for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. The appointment underscores the Biden administration’s desire to protect lands and waters not only at home, but also to conserve habitats abroad.
“There is a direct link between biodiversity loss and instability in many parts of the world,” Medina said in a recent phone interview. “It’s not just about nature for nature’s sake. I think it’s about people.” Prior to the Biden administration, Medina was an adjunct professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service in Georgetown and worked as general counsel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among other government roles. She is the wife of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. His appointment comes a few weeks before a major conference on biodiversity in mid-December in Montreal.
The aim of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity – also known as COP-15 – is for nations to reverse the trend of species loss by adopting an international framework for the conservation of biodiversity. This effort is akin to the 2015 climate talks that culminated in the Paris agreement. What the United States wants from the conference: that nations commit to conserving 30% of their lands and waters. “We’re looking for ways to achieve this goal, because that’s what scientists tell us we need to have a healthy planet,” Medina said. A big hurdle: defining exactly what counts as land and water conservation? “That’s part of the discussion, that’s what matters,” she said. Is the United States Doing Its Part? President Biden has set a goal of conserving nearly a third of the country’s land and water by 2030. Protecting ecosystems such as forests and peatlands will help keep carbon away from global warming in the first place. of the atmosphere, noted Medina.
“This is a crisis we are facing that is closely related to the climate crisis, but also independent and important in its own right,” she said. “If we can solve the biodiversity crisis, we are well on our way to solving the climate crisis.”
