The European Union is leading efforts to achieve an ambitious global agreement to halt biodiversity loss, as set out in the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
The Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, who represents the EU at the United Nations biodiversity summit COP15, which is taking place virtually in China on 11-15 October, emphasised that the “nature is under unprecedented pressure” and urged “to tackle the biodiversity crisis with the same urgency as the climate crisis”.
Calling biodiversity and climate crises “the two sides of the same coin”, he added that the agreement of the international community on the global biodiversity framework with strong monitoring mechanisms and measurable progress “is a generational task – we must succeed in offering a liveable and thriving planet to future generations”.
During the summit, the EU plans to negotiate time-bound targets for the world’s ecosystems restoration, resilience and protection by 2050. The Union is pushing for the protection of at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030 and promises to double its international biodiversity financing, in particular for the most vulnerable countries.
The EU will also promote the inclusion of fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources and respect of the rights of indigenous peoples with their full and effective participation in the global biodiversity framework.
The COP15 summit, together with the climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, are crucial meetings for life on Earth, with existential implications for humankind. The decisions made at the Summits will have long-lasting impacts on companies, economies and societies. On the second phase of the summit which is scheduled from 25 April to 8 May 2022, world leaders will meet in-person to conclude negotiations on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework – a new accord to halt and reverse the loss of the planet’s plants, animals and ecosystems.