This week, delegates from all over the world are gathered in Montreal to discuss "humanity's senseless and suicidal war with nature," as described by UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The UN Show on Organic Variety (CBD), which started off Tuesday, comes at a crucial time. Human activities are threatening more than a million species worldwide, many within decades. Forests, wetlands, and other natural ecosystems that purify the air and water for the current 8 billion people living on the planet are still being destroyed. Emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change keep going up.
Because nature loss affects more than just plants and animals, the World Economic Forum lists biodiversity loss as one of the top three global risk.
Assuming that there's no food, there's no perfect air to take in, there's no water, there are no meds which are subject to biodiversity assets, where could we be? We are what? Said the convention's executive secretary, Elizabeth M-A R U M-A. It indicates that we will perish along with the plants and animals.
The essential information regarding the nearly two-week convention is as follows:
What is the Convention on Biological Diversity?
Do you recall the COP27 climate conference held in Egypt last month? That is very similar to the CBD. It is a conference of parties, including representatives from more than 190 nations (but not the United States), whose goal is to halt the natural decline.
What makes this one so unique?
The CBD negotiates what is known as a Global Biodiversity Framework every ten years. Over the next ten years, it sets objectives for member nations. Countries will attempt to agree on a framework that lasts until 2030 in this instance.
What are this convention's primary objectives?
The primary objective, to put it bluntly, is to stop the bleeding. According to a study that was published last year, only 3% of the world's ecosystems are still ecologically intact, which means that they still support healthy populations of their native species and have not been tainted by human actions.
"While this is still possible", the assessment, which was less optimistic than previous studies, recommends immediate efforts to protect those areas and restore others.
Seventy-five percent of Earth's land and two-thirds of its oceans have been significantly altered by humans, according to a report from the world's leading scientists.
According to Rebecca Shaw, chief scientist at the World Wildlife Fund, "Fundamentally, we need to safeguard our life support systems in the face of accelerating nature loss". As a result of the fact that it only increases our vulnerability to pandemics, which none of us want, undermines our climate protection efforts, and makes our food production systems even more vulnerable, inaction is absolutely not an option
Ok, but what specifically are they looking at?
The draft framework for the convention lists more than 20 goals. One of the flashiest items is a pledge by member countries to protect 30% of their land and water by 2030
Wait... why isn't the U S part of the Convention on Biological Diversity?
The Biden administration has been urged to join the CBD by conservation organizations. It has launched its "America the Beautiful" initiative, which is aimed at conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, made biodiversity a priority, appointed a first-ever special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, and begun work on making nature a part of the country's economic calculations
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