Conservation organizations have cautioned that talks on a worldwide pact to safeguard nature this decade run the risk of failing to reach a consensus unless political leaders step up.
The fourth round of talks to establish a global framework to stop the devastation of the earth’s ecosystems came to a close on Sunday in Nairobi, Kenya, with essentially no progress made.
The Campaign for Nature’s director, Brian O’Donnell, told Climate Home News that the situation was “dark.” Instead of uniting on goals, negotiators turned to argue over details. The most significant difficulties have not changed noticeably.
This was the final scheduled conference before negotiators gather at Cop15 in Montreal, Canada, from December 5–17, to finalize the deal that has been dubbed the “Paris Agreement for nature.”
The biodiversity treaty, though, hardly registers on the international agenda four years after the process began as nations struggle with the coronavirus outbreak, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and skyrocketing prices.
In an open letter, eight environmental organizations pleaded with UN chief António Guterres to gather political leaders to “come in and assist get it done.” They stated, “We must raise the alarm that this process has reached a crisis point.
The conference was initially slated to take place in Kunming, China, in October 2020. However, due to the epidemic and Beijing’s zero-Covid policy, the summit was subsequently moved to Canada.
According to Li Shuo of Greenpeace East Asia, who has been following the discussions under China’s chairmanship, “Cop15 is the least well-prepared international environmental conference in recent memory.”
Four objectives and 23 potential targets are included in the draught agreement on a biodiversity treaty. It was planned that the Nairobi summit would help to focus choices and find areas of agreement for a Montreal accord.
Instead, some of the writing becomes more challenging. The most recent draught reveals that all but two of these objectives are still in brackets, indicating that they are up for debate.
Ministers are now faced with a challenging task since they lack technical knowledge on all of the contentious subjects.
The rights and responsibilities of indigenous peoples and local communities, a plan to safeguard 30% of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030, and how much money rich countries will contribute to helping poorer ones achieve their environmental goals are among the unresolved concerns.
For an Ambitious Venture, Financing Is Essential.
Developing nations have requested $700 billion each year to repair nature. As of March of this year, NGOs monitoring financial commitments from nations, philanthropies, and businesses reported $5.2 billion in pledges annually – “significantly more than what has been done in the past but woefully short of what is needed,” according to Brian O’Donnell.
Rich countries have completely skipped the Nairobi discussion. Richer nations sought to divert the topic away from their own budgets by suggesting that money could come from misdirected damaging subsidies and the private sector, while underdeveloped nations preferred financing to come through development aid channels.
According to one idea, $200 billion should be raised for conservation efforts, with $500 billion coming from revisions to subsidies.
Related Articles:
- Pacific Crest Trail Hikers Are Experiencing Climate Change Firsthand
- Industry Pressure Prompts Us To Propose 11 New Offshore Oil Leases
- A Reef Made Of Sugar: Exploring Climate Change With Art And Science
Stay tuned to enviro360 for more infotainment news.
