Did COP15 disappoint or deliver?

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With the culmination of COP15, Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), questions arise about whether COP15 fulfilled the expected agreements for the protection and restoration of nature. It is a fact that at the current rate, ecosystems are at risk of disappearing and ceasing to provide the basic resources that humanity requires to survive sustainably. For this reason, it is important to know the commitments reached by world leaders, as well as to carry out forceful actions for the conservation of biodiversity. Learning from COP15 Although the term “nature positive” – which many pointed to as a unifying idea similar to keeping global warming within a limit of 1.5°C – was not included in the final document of the COP15 agreements. Furthermore, the 2030 target to “take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss” is still considered a relatively strong call to action. About 190 countries on Monday, December 19, approved a broad United Nations agreement to protect 30% of the planet's land and oceans by 2030 and take a series of other measures against biodiversity loss. Which is a growing hidden crisis that, if left unchecked, endangers the planet's food and water supplies, as well as the existence of countless species around the world.

The agreement comes as biodiversity is declining around the world at a rate never before seen in human history. In fact, researchers have projected that one million plants and animals are at risk of extinction, so many could disappear within the next few decades. The last extinction event of that magnitude was the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But, then, did COP15 comply? Opinions Saudi Arabia Email List are divided. On the one hand, there are those who had pushed for even stronger measures, while others applaud the inclusion of monitoring mechanisms that previous agreements lacked. Which could be a clear indicator of growing momentum around the issue. "This is a scale of conservation that we have never seen before." Brian O'Donnell, director of the Campaign for Nature, a coalition of groups lobbying for protection. Agreements reached at COP15 Overall, the agreement establishes a set of 23 environmental objectives. The most notable, known as 30x30, would put 30% of land and sea under protection. Currently, only about 17% of the planet's land and approximately 8% of the oceans are protected, with restrictions on activities such as fishing, agriculture and mining.



On the other hand, international participation is not complete. For example, the United States is only one of two countries in the world that is not a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, largely because Republicans, who generally oppose joining treaties, have blocked U.S. membership. . That means the American delegation was required to participate from the sidelines. So President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that would also protect 30% of the land and waters of the United States, but any legislative effort to support that goal is expected to face strong opposition as the US political group Republicans take control of the House in January. Another of the ambitious objectives agreed was to manage the remaining 70% of the planet to avoid losing areas of great importance for biodiversity and to ensure that large companies disclose the risks and impacts of their operations on biodiversity. So, did COP15 deliver? Although we can point out that COP15 met its objectives in terms of establishing ambitious objectives to protect biodiversity, it remains to be known whether they will be achieved and what their follow-up will be.