A historic deal has been reached at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada, Monday that represents the most significant effort by countries to protect critical lands and waters aiming to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
“We have in our hands a package which I think can guide us as we all work together to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put biodiversity on the path to recovery for the benefit of all people in the world,” said Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, as reported by the Associated Press. “We can be truly proud.”
China holds the presidency at COP15.
The agreement contains a commitment to protect 30% of land and water said to be important for biodiversity by 2030, also known as 30 by 30. At the moment, 17% of land and 10% of marine areas are protected.
The deal at COP15 in Canada follows another historic deal that was signed at COP27 in Egypt last month. The Egypt deal would compensate poor and developing countries, those often afflicted with the worst impacts of climate change — although they contribute the least to global warming — with money to better prepare and defend themselves from climate events and its far reaching impacts. As scientists urge countries to act quickly to mitigate their carbon output and switch to renewable energies, it’s prompting governments to put forth goals to save the planet from climate catastrophe. Of course, it requires tremendous efforts by country’s to actually hit those targets. Given increased energy demands and the war in Ukraine, the globe is on track to burn 1.2% more coal this year than it did in 2021.
Hurricanes and droughts will not only affect humans. A 2020 study said that almost half of the globe’s animal and plant species could be extinct by 2070. Humans depend on 50,000 wild species for food, fuel and income. And with the global population now at eight billion, protecting biological life will be critical for survival.
The biodiversity deal at COP15 asks to raise $200 billion by 2030 and change other subsidies that could provide an additional $500 billion. The framework also calls to raise $20 billion annually by 2025 with funds going to poor countries. Funds would increase to $30 billion annually each year by 2030.
“Many of us wanted more things in the text and more ambition but we got an ambitious package,” said Canada’s minister of environment and climate change Steven Guilbeault. He said he was surprised that 30 by 30 was signed in Montreal. “We have an agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, to work on restoration, to reduce the use of pesticides. This is tremendous progress.”
