Last week, countries met in Nairobi for an additional round of talks on an agreement to end the anthropocentric destruction of the natural world, with the ultimate goals agreed at the Cop15 in Montreal. Governments have never achieved the goal they set for themselves to stop the destruction of nature, despite the fact that scientists warned in 2019 that one million species are endangered and that nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. While world leaders, including Emanuel Macron, Justin Trinto and Boris Johnson, have emphasized the importance of the summit, which takes place only once a decade, biodiversity negotiations have seen significant divisions between the world and the South. for the money, proposals for the protection of 30% of land and sea by 2030 and implementation of any agreement. The Africa team has warned it will not sign the final Global Biodiversity Framework after 2020 unless it includes a target for digital piracy. In an open letter released Monday, environmental groups such as Greenpeace, Avaaz, the Campaign for Nature and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity said no progress had been made on the final agreement and that the talks lacked a high level of political commitment. In the face of any police officer, the negotiations are largely handled by technical experts in the initial phases, with ministers usually involved at the end of the talks. The letter calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and government ministers to involve the political leadership in the process and prevent the destruction of the Cop15 in Montreal in December. China will oversee the event as president, as its zero-Covid policy forced organizers to move the summit earlier this month. “Negotiations have stalled and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework is in jeopardy,” the letter said. “Countries once cited Cop15 as an opportunity to reach a global agreement on nature and humans, similar in importance to the Paris climate agreement, but there is a marked lack of high-level political commitment, will and leadership to reach a compromise and to guide and inspire the commitments needed ”. The delegates met in Nairobi, Kenya last week to conclude agreements ahead of the Cop15 in Montreal. Photo: IISB During the six days of talks last week, negotiations saw little agreement between the countries on the final text, which includes draft targets for eradicating environmentally harmful subsidies, reducing pesticide use and action on invasions. species in an effort to reduce extinction rates. Scientists have warned again in 2020 that the sixth mass extinction of wildlife on Earth is accelerating. A further round of talks before the Cop15 is scheduled for the days before the summit, which starts on 5 December and ends on 17 December, one day before the FIFA World Cup final. If adequately funded and fully implemented, the agreement could bring about significant changes in global agricultural practices and the extractive industries, both key factors in the elimination of wildlife and natural ecosystems. There was hope that the countries would use the extra round of talks in Nairobi to find points of division before the Cop15. However, one negotiator, speaking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, said they withdrew from the talks seeing more division. “When the meeting ended yesterday, everyone was really disappointed. Many were expecting to advance, at least in some of the goals. “It should be a wake-up call and it can make ministers aware that they need to find a way out of this riddle.” Sharon Ruthia, of the Foundation for Environment and Natural Resources, at the Nairobi talks last week. Photo: IISB Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, UN chief on biodiversity, urged governments to work together on the pre-Cop15 agreement to help reach a consensus. “I urge the parties, in the coming months, to engage vigorously with the text, to listen to each other and to seek consensus,” he said. Basile van Havre, co-chair of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) negotiations, said he was not as negative as others about the state of the talks, but agreed that the ministerial contribution was important. “People came prepared. The representatives worked very hard and there was no exclusion. The challenge we have is that there are many difficult issues. “We have made progress, but we are not where we should be. “We need ministers to get involved and give the negotiators technical instructions to move forward.”
Top Nairobi Talking Points
A Quiet China When delegates travel to Montreal this December, Beijing will continue to chair the long-delayed police force, even though it will be hosted by Canada and not by Kunming as originally planned. China has so far played a largely passive role in the negotiations and did so again in Nairobi. African skepticism at 30×30 Several world leaders have put forward proposals to protect 30% of land and sea as the main goal of the agreement. However, many African countries have stated that the goal will not be the final text without substantial financial commitment from the rich global North. Brazil accused of sabotaging talks At the end of the talks on Sunday, Marco Lambertini, WWF International’s chief executive, accused Brazil of “actively working to undermine the negotiations”. Cop15 could be another opportunity for Bolsonaro to add to his disastrous environmental heritage.
