The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) congress, to be held over 9 days, opened on 3 September in Marseille (France). The largest global event on biodiversity ever held, this congress brings together 1,300 members from 160 countries, 15,000 experts and 20,000 visitors. A few weeks before the COP26* climate change conference in Glasgow (United Kingdom) and the COP15 biodiversity conference in Kunming (China), he warns of the dual requirement to fight climate change and the loss of biodiversity. It is also the first year that a “CEO Summit” brings together CEOs of large companies on the theme “Moving from commitment to action: building a nature-positive future”. It was here that Veolia CEO Antoine Frérot presented his vision.
We must involve the private sector to save nature
For 15 years, the IUCN has chosen in its strategy to involve the private sector with a considerable impact on nature. The organisation therefore initiated “Nature-Based Solutions” aiming to protect nature while meeting the challenges of food safety, water supply, climate change and the reduction of poverty.
Antoine Frérot explained:
We all know that nature keeps us alive. And a business that does not respect nature is not sustainable and will be forced to change sooner or later. Inventing solutions that will preserve nature, biodiversity and natural resources is at the heart of Veolia’s purpose. For example, the circular economy converts waste into resources, energy efficiency and renewable energies reduce the carbon footprint, while treating and recycling wastewater saves water, a resource too precious to be used only once.We must also create and deploy new solutions for the coming decades, such as recycling electric batteries to save rare metals, capturing and storing carbon or using the bioconversion of waste to produce proteins for animal feed.... These solutions mimic the processes that nature itself uses and that is what we want to do at Veolia. As Leonardo Da Vinci once said: learn from nature: that is where our future lies.
Freshwater is the planet’s most precious resource
Antoine Frérot took part in an opening plenary session on “Our Freshwater Global Risk - Taking Actions to Reverse the Trend”.
Although it represents only 3% of the total water on the planet, freshwater is a fundamental resource for humans and natural ecosystems. However, the unsustainable management of wetlands and rivers has an impact on food and water safety. It threatens the integrity of ecosystems.
For the CEO, “Veolia’s initial mission in the 19th century was to manage water for human requirements. Today, water is no longer considered solely a resource, but also a habitat for biodiversity. This is why Veolia now combines water management and the protection of ecosystems.
For example, by reducing the water consumed by cities and industries, we preserve resources. In Tétouan in Morocco, water losses have been reduced to 18%, compared to 60% 20 years ago. In Mexico, in a Nestlé powdered milk factory which does not use water, Veolia extracts the water from milk to supply the manufacturing process. The group is also developing the use of alternative resources, such as reusing wastewater: 50% of drinking water in the Namibian capital Windhoek comes from the recycling of wastewater. Finally, for the Sinopec refinery in Beijing, Veolia restored the 8-hectare wetland near the site, which now has more than 140 species of birds that 500,000 visitors come to watch every year. Veolia therefore combines the use of resources and the preservation of ecosystems, considered habitats for biodiversity”, concluded Antoine Frérot.
Replay: Opening Plenary “Our Freshwater Global Risk - Taking Actions to Reverse the Trend”: see Antoine Frérot 1:09:30 to 1:09:36
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is defined as the variety of all living organisms on five levels: ecosystems, species, populations, individuals and genes. The field of biodiversity includes the relationships that all living organisms establish with each other and with the environment.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature
The IUCN is one of the leading NGOs dedicated to nature conservation. Founded on 5 October 1948 following an international conference held in Fontainebleau, France, the IUCN brings together 85 states and 1,300 NGOs. 1,300 resolutions have already been adopted during its general assemblies (IUCN Resolutions and Recommendations Platform) on species, protected areas, forests, the marine environment, water, the private sector and climate change. Its aim is to encourage companies around the world to conserve the integrity of nature and ensure that the use of natural resources is equitable and sustainable.
> Find Veolia in the Forum and Exhibition areas, from 4-11 September (see the Veolia congress participation schedule) and during round table events (in french only) on the Waste! we can stage of the “Nature Generation Areas” (schedule).
* The COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow (United Kingdom) will run from 31 October to 12 November; then comes the virtual COP15 biodiversity conference in Kunming (China) from 11-15 October, followed by a face-to-face event from 25 April to 8 May 2022.