196 nations approve historic biodiversity deal at COP15

New Delhi, December 19

In a ‘landmark’ biodiversity agreement to protect nature, nations (or parties as they are referred to in climate parlance) including India approved a “Paris-style” deal to halt, protect and reverse biodiversity loss at the United Nations COP15 World Conference on Nature in Montreal this morning.

Tackling invasive species among 23 targets

• The 23 targets in the accord include cutting environmentally destructive farming subsidies, reducing the risk from pesticides, and tackling invasive species.
• The deal is being compared by many to the landmark plan to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement in 2015.

The deal followed intense negotiations to ensure that the nature is pulled back from the brink by 2030 while keeping alive the 1.5 degree Celsius under the Paris Agreement. One of the most important targets includes the protection of 30% of the world’s lands, waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. At present, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are under protection.

Over the next year, these 196 governments will put into action what has been agreed—including creating plans by 2024 while rich nations will put $30 billion per annum by 2030 on the table—to save the lands, oceans, and species from pollution, degradation, and climate change.

One of the most contentious issues—finance package to support conservation efforts globally, particularly in developing countries—saw a commitment to progressively increase the level from all sources by 2030.

Experts called the commitment to $20 billion finance flows by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030 a major achievement.

Targets also include cutting environmentally destructive farming subsidies, reducing the risk from pesticides and tackling invasive species.

The deal aims to reduce to near zero the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance.By the next COP in 2024, governments have a lot of homework to turn these agreed goals into actions at home.