(Montreal) In the coming days, Montreal will welcome more than 20,000 people from 196 countries, including members of governments around the world, to try to slow down the deterioration of biodiversity. Civil society organizations want the Conference of Parties (COP15) on biodiversity in Montreal to be an opportunity to reflect on the role of the market economy in the decline of life.
The COPs on climate and biodiversity follow one another and often resemble each other. World leaders come together to set targets to be achieved over a period of years. At the end of this period, even if several of the objectives are not achieved, new summits are held to set new, even more ambitious objectives.
But members of civil society doubt that it is possible to achieve these objectives and curb the biodiversity and climate change crises without calling into question the economic system based on growth at all costs.
“The fruit is ripe to undertake this discussion, in a serene way”, indicated Alain Branchaud, general manager of SNAP Quebec.
Open a dialog
SNAP Quebec is part of the COP15 Collective, which brings together 80 Quebec organizations and wants to take advantage of the conference in Montreal to open a dialogue on the economic changes needed to protect biodiversity.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alain Branchaud, General Manager of CPAWS Quebec.
The Collective has obtained permission to organize side events throughout COP15 at the Canada Pavilion, inside the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, which officially became international territory on Thursday morning.
Several researchers from all over the world have been invited by the collective to lead and participate in various workshops in order to reflect on the changes that can be made to our economy and our value system in order to curb the destruction of ecosystems.
“We invited intellectuals from all over the world who have thought about how to make these changes,” explained Alain Branchaud to The Canadian Press.
The titles of some conferences are evocative, for example: “How to go beyond economic growth? “, “Degrowth: the first milestones to be laid within five years”, “What does a sober lifestyle look like? “.
After holding these workshops, which will take place over several days, Alain Branchaud explained that the collective will organize “a major conference” to take stock of “the solutions to the systemic changes that must be made not only at the level of the economic system, but also at the level of our value system”, adding that elected officials should participate in this event, without however giving more details for the moment.
Mr. Branchaud specified that he prefers to speak of “systemic change to the economy” rather than “economic decline”.
His organization would like reflection on our economic system and the values of our society to be part of the legacy of COP15 in Montreal.
“We want to send out a loud cry to the whole planet to ensure that there are no more COPs, whether COPs on climate or on biodiversity, that take place without accelerating and continuing the discussion on the systemic changes and on the mechanisms to be identified to change our economic model, which is geared towards growth. »
Since the early 1970s, populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have declined by 69%, on average, according to a recent study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Protecting at least 30% of the planet by 2030 and restoring 20% of degraded freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems are among the main objectives of COP15, which will take place from 7 to 19 December at the Palais des Congrès.
The summit should lead to the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework for the decade 2020-2030.
This framework should succeed the Aichi targets, which refer to the Japanese city where the 2010-2020 framework was negotiated.
The countries failed to respect the strategic plan negotiated in Aichi.
“None of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets will be fully achieved,” said a 2020 United Nations report.