Goodbye 2022 & Hello COP15: EU Joins ‘Historic’ Biodiversity Framework
Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash
As many of us settled down for the holidays, the EU joined 195 countries in what’s being called the ‘historic’ Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework consists of global goals aimed at protecting and restoring nature. “Together with the Paris Agreement on climate, it paves the way towards a climate-neutral, nature-positive and resilient world by 2050,” the European Commission said in a statement.
The signing took place during the UN Biodiversity COP15 in Montréal, Canada, held between 7 and 19 December 2022. The conference was initially planned to be held in April 2022, in Kunming, China, but was postponed due to Covid.
What is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework?
According to the European Commission, “the Kunming-Montreal agreement will accelerate ambitious policies around the world”, which are geared towards the protection and repatriation of nature, as well as pollution removal. In a strategy that forms part of the European Green Deal, it will also mobilise financing for biodiversity, which will total $200 billion per year by 2023 - or a whopping $1.4 trillion over the seven years to the 2030 finish line.
Furthermore, the agreement has a framework that consists of clear, measurable goals and targets to restore nature for future generations. It also includes reporting, monitoring and review arrangements to track progress.
“[The Kunming-Montreal agreement] will ensure that nature continues sustaining societies, economies and communities for decades to come,” the Commission said in a statement.
What are some of the Kunming-Montreal agreement goals?
While we understand what the agreement is all about, it is essential to look at the specific goals of it. Are they, for example, geared towards the most appropriate outcomes, and are they result orientated?
Here’s a look at some of the goals and actions listed in the Kunming-Montreal agreement, as provided by the Commission, to be reached by 2030 and 2050 (take a look at the full list here):
Restore 30% of degraded ecosystems globally (on land and sea) by 2030
Stop the extinction of known species, and by 2050 reduce tenfold the extinction risk and rate of all species (including unknown)
Reduce nutrients lost to the environment by at least 50% by 2030
Reduce pollution risks and negative impacts of pollution from all sources by 2030 to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Reduce global footprint of consumption by 2030, including through significantly reducing overconsumption and waste generation and halving food waste
Tackle climate change through nature-based solutions
Is the Kunming-Montreal agreement a move in the right direction?
During the closing plenary of COP15, Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, stated that she welcomes the adoption of the framework, as but a “first step in resetting our relationship with the natural world”.
I agree with the importance of such an agreement. In fact, it’s about time! As Ms. Andersen states:
“For far too long humanity has paved over, fragmented, over-extracted and destroyed the natural world on which we all depend. Now is our chance to shore up and strengthen the web of life, so it can carry the full weight of generations to come.”
While I agree that the Kunming-Montreal agreement is crucial towards improving our environments, reducing poverty and leaving a better world for the generations to follow our own, I also think it is vitally important to hold all stakeholders accountable, and for results from these goals to be communicated on regularly.
