Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment

Biodiversity underlies nature's contributions to people (also known as ecosystem services), including food, water, health, hazard protection, and cultural values. Climate change is among the primary drivers of biodiversity loss, and well-managed biodiversity conservation can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Understanding the interplay between biodiversity and climate change is critical for the implementation of effective and lasting solutions to climate change and for maintaining biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people. The US Geological Survey (USGS), the nation’s largest water, earth, and biological science agency, was charged by the US Congress in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget with conducting an assessment that characterizes the state of understanding concerning linkages between biodiversity and climate change for the United States. Drivers of biodiversity loss and climate change impacts cross national boundaries, and accordingly the geographic scope of assessment will include neighboring nations, particularly Canada and Mexico. 

The assessment process and report production is a collaborative effort among the USGS, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad - CONABIO). The primary product is an assessment report, planned for release in 2026, evaluating the relationships between biodiversity and climate in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and adjacent regions as appropriate, and identifying policy options to conserve biodiversity. 

Five co‑chairs (listed below) from Canada, Mexico, and the United States lead the design and direct the BCCA. They provide scientific oversight for the entire assessment, guide its structure and content, select chapter lead authors representing scientists, knowledge holders, practitioners, and policy experts across all three countries, contribute to chapter development, and prepare the Summary for Decision Makers.  

• John Bradford, USGS Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center 
• Isabelle M. Côté, Simon Fraser University 
• Ernesto Enkerlin, Organización Vida Silvestre 
• Marío Carmen Lemos, University of Michigan 
• Kyle Powys Whyte, University of Michigan