Simple plan could raise the billions needed to stem biodiversity loss
New ScientistOct 19
UN COP16 Biodiversity Summit Begins in Colombia
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Above: Susana Muhamad Minister of Environment of Colombia and president of COP16 addresses attendees on Oct. 21, 2024 in Cali, Colombia. Image copyright: Gabriel Aponte/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The latest installment of the UN's biodiversity summit began on Monday in Cali, Colombia, with nearly 200 nations in attendance and around 23K delegates registered to participate.
The summit is the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) of the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity. The convention was signed in 1992 with the objective of conserving biological diversity and ensuring "fair and equitable sharing" of utilizing genetic resources.
The Spin
Narrative A
Those in high echelons of power continue to repeat claims of a human-engineered climate disaster as if it were a certified fact. The environment, as it always has, is destined to change and evolve due to a multitude of factors that are often way beyond our wildest understanding — it's inappropriate to suggest otherwise. A more nuanced view of the power of natural complexity is required.
Narrative B
With natural habitats across the world vanishing at a dangerous speed, now more than ever the international community, including both state and non-state actors, must come together and commit to solutions to this environmental crisis. Biodiversity is integral to the Earth's sustainability — without immediate action, it may be too late for this alarming trend to ever be reversed.
