By Razak Baba
The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has opened in Montreal, Canada.
The meeting has brought together global leaders to set out new goals and develop an Action Plan for plants and animals over the next decade.
COP15, which is being organised by UN Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat from December 7–19, 2022, will focus on protecting nature and halting biodiversity loss around the world.
More than 10,000 people from 196 countries, including government representatives, Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO members and media practitioners have registered to attend the UN biological summit in person, though the actual number of people who show up may be less.
Speaking at the opening of COP15, the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, told delegates at the conference that there must be “no excuses, no delays” for measures that would prevent the global population from “Waging War on Nature”.
The UN Secretary-General said humanity was “a weapon of mass extinction that is hellbent on destruction”. According to him, we are out of harmony with nature, saying we are playing entirely different songs.
He quoted, ” around the world, for hundreds of years we have conducted a cacophony of chaos, played with instruments of destruction, deforestation and desertification are creating wastelands of once- thriving Ecosystems.
The UN Chief said the COP15 meeting must result in humanity making peace with the natural world instead of destroying it in the pursuit of profit. Multinational corporations are filling their bank accounts while emptying our world of its natural gifts.
Overall, the UN hopes to persuade all countries to pledge to put at least 30 percent of their land and sea areas under conservation by 2030, a target often referred to as the 30-by-30 goal.
Currently, only about 17 percent of the world’s land falls under some sort of population, while less than eight percent of the Global ocean is protected.
Another 22 potential targets are also being considered, from curbing pesticide use to cancelling some 500 billion US dollars in subsidies for activities that cause damage to nature.
