{"id":248711,"date":"2022-12-16T11:27:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T10:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unric.org\/en\/?p=248711"},"modified":"2023-01-03T16:30:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T15:30:47","slug":"eu-aims-high-at-cop15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unric.org\/en\/eu-aims-high-at-cop15\/","title":{"rendered":"EU aims high at COP15"},"content":{"rendered":"

EU aims high at COP15<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biodiversity is fundamental to a healthy planet but also to our own mental and physical well-being. From oceans to rivers, forests, parks, animal species and plants, biodiversity around the world is currently threatened by an unprecedented loss caused by human activity. Humanity is destroying nature faster than ever<\/a>. One million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction. We have radically changed three quarters of the Earth\u2019s surface and if we do not adapt our behavior, we put all of humanity at risk. The scientific community has warned us about the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution and waste.<\/p>\n

What is COP15 and why is it important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From 7 to 19 December 2022,\u00a0governments from around the world\u00a0are meeting in Montr\u00e9al, Canada at the UN Biodiversity Conference, or COP15. It stands for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. During COP15, world leaders are expected to agree on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework<\/a>. The leaders will aim to address the key drivers of nature loss\u00a0to secure our planet\u2019s and our own health and well-being. The new framework should guide global action to stop and reverse\u00a0biodiversity\u00a0loss and to change the interaction between society and biodiversity. The new objectives should also help us fulfill the shared vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. To reach these objectives and solve the current crisis, countries and different actors will need to join forces: governments, civil society, businesses, indigenous peoples and local communities.<\/p>\n

The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and is dedicated to conserving biological diversity. It has now been ratified by 195 countries, including the European Union.<\/p>\n

The European Union and its biodiversity strategy for 2030<\/strong><\/p>\n

Protecting biodiversity is a global challenge and actions taken at the global, regional or local level in the next decade will be decisive. In Europe, protected habitats and species continue to decline at an alarming rate. The 2020 \u2018State of Nature in the EU\u2019<\/a> report found that 81% of EU protected habitats and 63% of EU protected species are in \u201cpoor\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d conservation status.<\/p>\n

With its Biodiversity Strategy 2030<\/a>, the EU aims to highlight the crucial role of nature and ecosystems in sustainable development and to reverse biodiversity loss. The EU says it is ready to adopt a transformative post-2020 global framework at COP15 to ensure that by 2050 all of the world\u2019s ecosystems are restored, resilient, and adequately protected.<\/p>\n

What is being done at the EU level?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 commits to planting at least\u00a0 three billion additional trees in the EU<\/a> by 2030 in full respect of ecological principles. The EU is also doubling external funding for biodiversity<\/a> to seven billion euros.<\/p>\n

Among others, the European Commission proposed a Nature Restoration Law<\/a> . This key element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy aims to restore ecosystems, habitats and species across the EU\u2019s land and sea areas. The Commission also proposed a\u00a0Regulation to minimise EU-driven deforestation and forest degradation<\/a>. This Regulation seeks to promote the consumption of \u2018deforestation-free’ products and reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation. The new rules are expected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and halt biodiversity loss.<\/p>\n

It has been estimated that about 60 to 70% of soils in the EU are not healthy. The new vision for soil<\/a> is anchored in the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, as soil hosts more than 25% of all biodiversity on the planet and is the foundation of the food chains nourishing humanity and above ground biodiversity.<\/p>\n

EU priorities at COP15<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, on the occasion of the UN General Assembly Biodiversity High-Level Pledging event in September 2022 said<\/a>: \u201cWe need three key commitments in Montr\u00e9al. First, an ambitious global framework to stop and reverse biodiversity loss and protect 30% of land and ocean globally. Second, we need measurable goals and targets, supported by a fair monitoring system to keep track of progress. And third, we need to scale up biodiversity financing from all sources: public and private, domestic and international.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Commission, representing the EU, together with EU Member States<\/a>, will be working with all Parties to conclude an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework – an agreement to protect, restore, sustainably use and invest in biodiversity and ecosystems.<\/p>\n

While all Parties need to agree on an ambitious global biodiversity framework during COP15, the EU\u2019s negotiations will aim to:<\/p>\n