COP15 adopts plan to save 30% of land, water by 2030
MORE THAN 190 COUNTRIES RALLY BEHIND THE CHINESE-BROKERED ACCORD
Countries approved a historic deal to reverse decades of environmental destruction threatening the world’s species and ecosystems at a marathon UN biodiversity summit early yesterday.
The chair of the COP15 nature summit, Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, declared the deal adopted at a late-night plenary session in Montreal and struck his gavel, sparking loud applause from assembled delegates.
In doing so he overruled an objection from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had refused to back the text, demanding greater funding for developing countries as part of the accord.
After four years of fraught negotiations, more than 190 other states rallied behind the Chinese-brokered accord aimed at saving the lands, oceans and species from pollution, degradation and the climate crisis.
The deal pledges to secure 30 per cent of the planet as a protected zone by 2030 and to stump up $30 billion in yearly conservation aid for the developing world.
Environmentalists have compared the accord to the landmark plan to limit global warming to 1.5°C under the Paris agreement, though some earlier warned that it did not go far enough.
Conservation commitment
Brian O’Donnell of the Campaign for Nature called it “the largest land and ocean conservation commitment in history”.
“The international community has come together for a landmark global biodiversity agreement that provides some hope that the crisis facing nature is starting to get the attention it deserves,” he said.
“Moose, sea turtles, parrots, rhinos, rare ferns and ancient trees, butterflies, rays, and dolphins are among the million species that will see a significantly improved outlook for their survival and abundance if this agreement is implemented effectively.”
The text calls on wealthy countries to increase financial aid to the developing world to $20 billion annually by 2025, rising to $30 billion per year by 2030, while ensuring 30 per cent of land and sea areas are effectively conserved and man
The international community has come together for a landmark global biodiversity agreement that provides some hope that the crisis facing nature is starting to get the attention it deserves.”
aged by the end of this decade.
It pledges to safeguard the rights of Indigenous people as stewards of their lands, a key demand of campaigners.
But it pulled punches in other areas — for example, only encouraging businesses to report their biodiversity impacts rather than mandating them to do so.
The 23 targets in the accord also include cutting environmentally destructive farming subsidies, reducing the risk from pesticides and tackling invasive species.
The United States is not a signatory to the biodiversity convention due to resistance from Republican senators. US President Joe Biden supports the deal and launched his own “30 by 30” plan domestically, while the United States pays into the GEF to assist developing countries. China chaired the conference but it was held in Canada because of China’s strict Covid rules.
Brian O’Donnell | Campaign for Nature