In this episode of Future Perfect | Futures Antérieur, hosts Liliane Umubyeyi and Hélène Himmer welcome Meghna Abraham (external link), an international human rights lawyer and expert on economic, social and cultural rights, to discuss the biodiversity crisis, its causes and possible solutions. Meghna explains that biodiversity loss is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, with up to one million species at risk. This threatens the resilience of ecosystems and their ability to mitigate climate change. The main drivers of this crisis are land-use change, deforestation and extractive industries, largely fuelled by overconsumption in high-income countries, which consume six times more resources than low-income countries.
The conversation highlights how colonial legacies and trade policies continue to exploit the Global South, perpetuating economic inequalities and reinforcing destructive agricultural and industrial models. Despite growing awareness, international frameworks favor market-based solutions such as 'bio-credits', which allow companies to offset environmental damage rather than stop harmful practices. Meghna argues that true accountability requires a justice-based approach, including legal responsibility, reparations and stronger protections for indigenous and most affected communities.
Meghna Abraham calls on civil society to challenge corporate control of biodiversity policy and advocate for a fundamental shift in global economic structures. The conversation underscores the need to shift the narrative around biodiversity, reframing it as a justice issue rather than an environmental concern, and demanding change that prioritizes conservation, equity and sustainability.