US Senate Resolution Introduced that Highlights IPBES Science and Amplifies Call for National Biodiversity Strategy
English (396)
Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a non-binding resolution in the U.S. Senate to establish a National Biodiversity Strategy. The resolution would express the need for the United States to establish a national biodiversity
strategy to protect species biodiversity. Such a strategy would encourage federal agencies to identify and pursue a full range of actions within existing laws and policies while encouraging the consideration of new ones, as well as establish a new four-year assessment to monitor the progress in addressing the biodiversity crisis.
The resolution notes that "whereas the United States should play a leading role on the international stage in addressing the biodiversity crisis, yet the United States... (3) does not have a national biodiversity strategy as
part of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services."
The resolution references IPBES science published in the 2019 Global Assessment, stating that "whereas recent scientific studies have shown that human driven threats have harmed biodiversity by (1) threatening approximately 1,000,000 species with imminent or near extinction." It also makes references to scientific evidence on the decline of wild species, the need to control threats posed by invasive species, as well as drivers of biodiversity loss.
Over 120 organizations endorsed the resolution. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined Senator Merkley in sponsoring the resolution.
strategy to protect species biodiversity. Such a strategy would encourage federal agencies to identify and pursue a full range of actions within existing laws and policies while encouraging the consideration of new ones, as well as establish a new four-year assessment to monitor the progress in addressing the biodiversity crisis.
The resolution notes that "whereas the United States should play a leading role on the international stage in addressing the biodiversity crisis, yet the United States... (3) does not have a national biodiversity strategy as
part of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services."
The resolution references IPBES science published in the 2019 Global Assessment, stating that "whereas recent scientific studies have shown that human driven threats have harmed biodiversity by (1) threatening approximately 1,000,000 species with imminent or near extinction." It also makes references to scientific evidence on the decline of wild species, the need to control threats posed by invasive species, as well as drivers of biodiversity loss.
Over 120 organizations endorsed the resolution. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined Senator Merkley in sponsoring the resolution.
Website
Global assessment (1st work programme)
2023-12-12
- US Senate Resolution LIP23A14.pdf (29.08 KB)
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