Our world is enduring the sixth mass extinction in its history: the Anthropocene Extinction. Species are disappearing at a thousand times the natural rate.
Unlike the great dyings of past epochs, this one is driven not by natural planetary catastrophes, but by human activity.
My role as a member of Canada’s state delegation at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is to wield Nature Canada’s policy expertise, to press the treaty from prim words to urgent deeds.
Well, that was exhausting: COP 16 has drawn to a close.
I only regret that my work as a member of Canada's state delegation left me too little time to support my Nature Canada colleagues, Ted Cheskey and Lillian Trapper. They represented us at civil society events with distinction.
Our negotiations ran late into the night. Physical exhaustion is an effective argument in driving diplomats to agreement.
We had victories on Indigenous representation and protection of genetic resources. We have work yet to do on the treaty's financial architecture.
I am looking forward to returning to the Ottawa Valley, and enjoying nature in its autumnal colours. I hope our work at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity means that many more generations will have that chance, too.
Our negotiations continued into the dying minutes of COP 16 in Colombia, until they were suspended.
But we did cross one finish line in time.
The world's Indigenous Peoples will now have their own permanent body at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, to speak for themselves and defend their own lands and waters.
This is a landmark moment in United Nations treaty-making.
Final 24 Hours of Negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP 16
We are into the final twenty-four hours of negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP 16.
One critical issue is coming down to the wire: the creation of an "Article 8J" body, to enable Indigenous people to speak for themselves at the convention, in defence of their own lands, waters, and sovereignty.
My colleagues and I are committed to the creation of this body. Some states are opposed.
It is a fundamental test of character for international diplomacy.
Steven Guilbeault says opposition parties effectively blocked his participation by refusing to send delegates themselves — the NDP says he c
“Canada’s Environment Minister didn’t make it to the UN nature summit. He blames the opposition.”
Because of the government's political fragility, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault decided not to travel to Colombia to join Canada's state delegation to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's COP16.
I spoke with The Narwhal about whether his absence is affecting our negotiations.
Fears raised that biodiversity summit not addressing countries’ failure to meet a single target to stem destruction of natural world
Governments risk another decade of failure on biodiversity loss, due to the slow implementation of an international agreement to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems, experts have warned.
Less than two years ago, the world reached a historic agreement at the Cop15 summit in Montreal to stop the human-caused destruction of life on our planet. The deal included targets to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade (30x30), reform $500bn (then £410bn) of environmentally damaging subsidies, and begin restoring 30% of the planet’s degraded ecosystems.
But as country representatives dig into their second week of negotiations at Cop16 in Cali, Colombia – their first meeting since Montreal – alarm is growing at the lack of concrete progress on any of the major targets they agreed upon. An increasing number of indicators show that governments are not on track. They still need to protect an area of land equivalent to the combined size of Brazil and Australia, and an expanse of sea larger than the Indian Ocean to meet the headline 30x30 target, according to a new UN report.
Weak progress on funding for nature and almost no progress on subsidy reform have also frustrated observers. At the time of publication, 158 countries are yet to submit formal plans on how they are going to meet the targets, according to Carbon Brief, missing their deadline this month ahead of the biodiversity summit in Cali, where governments are not likely to set a new deadline.
“Progress has been too slow. I think political prioritisation of nature is still too low. This is reflected by progress on the targets. Several target are very easy to measure: 30x30 has metrics on area and quality, finance has a dollar figure. We have new data on both that show we’re not on pace,” said Brian O’Donnell, director of the Campaign for Nature.
“This is a moment to demonstrate seriousness and build trust. On finance especially, it’s been disturbing at times to go to parties to ask for their path forward for finance and be treated as if we are asking for something new or unrealistic, as opposed to what they just agreed two years ago. To me, that is a reflection of not a true commitment to this,” he said.
The world has never met a target to stem the destruction of wildlife and life-sustaining ecosystems. Amid growing scientific warnings about the state of life on Earth, there has been a major push to make sure this decade is different, and that governments comply with targets designed to prevent wildlife extinctions, such as cuts to pesticides use and pollution.
Yadvinder Malhi, a professor of ecosystem science at the University of Oxford, said: “The very limited progress we’ve seen so far in the negotiations at Cop16 is insufficient to address the very real implications of getting this wrong. Biodiversity is continuing to decline at an alarming rate. I really hope that the crunch discussions this week yield those commitments, for the sake of a flourishing future for people and for our planet.”
