The 15e UN conference on biodiversity is entering its crucial phase. Here, in five capsules, are the main issues that will keep negotiators busy in the home stretch.
30×30
This target aims to protect 30% of terrestrial and marine environments by 2030. More than a hundred countries support this proposal, and Canada has made it a priority. Several details remain to be defined. Does the 30% apply to each country, or to the whole world? Should the text prescribe the protection of areas particularly rich in biodiversity? Indigenous representatives are also concerned that the creation of new protected areas will force them out of their traditional territory: they want clear recognition of their rights.
Funding
The countries of the South have a rich biodiversity to protect, but it is the countries of the North that have mainly benefited from their natural resources. A group made up of Brazil, India and African countries, among others, is asking for subsidies of at least 100 billion dollars a year to take care of nature. Canada, like other developed countries, refuses the creation of a new fund, but is open to putting money on the table. During the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, developing countries slammed the door of an in camera meeting on this matter.
Harmful subsidies
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, governments spend $500 billion to $1 trillion each year on “environmentally harmful subsidies” in the fisheries, agriculture and fossil fuel sectors. A goal being debated at COP15 is to reduce or eliminate these subsidies, possibly by 2030. On Tuesday, delegates backed away from explicitly naming fisheries and agriculture subsidies in the text.
Nature-based solutions
Originally, “nature-based solutions” relate to the fight against climate change. This is, for example, planting trees. Could these projects also benefit biodiversity? Not all countries are convinced of this. Moreover, warn those who resist, nature-based solutions can dispossess people of their traditional territory. Will COP15 give impetus to these practices, or will it rather put a brake on them?
Pesticides, agriculture and pollution
The text negotiated in Montreal refers to a two-thirds reduction in the use of pesticides. However, this ambitious target is meeting with a lot of resistance: many countries, including China, India, Turkey and Mexico, oppose it. China and Japan also oppose a numerical proposal on fertilizers. In the draft agreement, it is also a question of promoting the transition to “sustainable” agriculture. According to the specialized media Carbon Brief, Canada would have opposed a mention of “plant-based” diets in the text. On another aspect, the countries agreed on Tuesday to “prevent, reduce and work to eliminate” plastic pollution, but without setting a quantified target.
Genetic data
Genetic data is a major but little-known issue in the negotiations at COP15. Countries need to agree on a way to share benefits from products derived from wild-collected DNA. The food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries are indeed very interested in the genome of organisms. Different royalty systems are being considered, but countries are not agreeing yet. Africa affirms that, without a satisfactory text in this regard, it will not support the global framework on biodiversity negotiated in Montreal.