3 weeks ago
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries and businesses to strengthen commitments to biodiversity conservation during the COP16 summit in Colombia, highlighting urgent threats to global ecosystems.
Steven Grattan reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
- Guterres called for new financial pledges and private sector involvement to combat biodiversity loss, emphasizing its urgent impact on human health and the environment.
- The COP16 summit builds on the 2022 “30 by 30” agreement to protect 30% of global land and water by 2030, but financial pledges currently fall far short.
- Indigenous communities’ conservation roles were highlighted, with calls to incorporate their traditional knowledge into biodiversity efforts.
Key quote:
“Nature is life, and yet we are waging a war against it, a war where there can be no winner.”
— Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Why this matters:
Loss of biodiversity threatens ecosystems that support global food, water, and health systems. Without stronger actions and funding, the impacts of climate change and pollution on species and human populations will escalate, complicating sustainable development and climate resilience goals.
Related: Big polluters must cut emissions or risk global catastrophe, says UN chief
