Climate campaigners wave placards and chant pro-nature slogans as a United Nations summit in Montreal on Wednesday brought together global negotiators for a “once in a decade” opportunity to protect nature.
Negotiators hope the two-week event delivers a compromise that ensures “nature” – animals, plants and healthy ecosystems – in 2030 are what they are now.
But disagreements over goals and the sheer amount of material going into COP15 over the next two weeks remain a concern, said Gavin Edwards, director of the World Wildlife Fund International.
“It’s going to be a really late night here to be able to get the settlement we want,” Edwards said as campaigners chanted.
“But we’re talking about the future of life here on Earth.”
He said an agreement could lead to the protection of about a third of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, more sustainable agricultural systems, forestry and fisheries.
“Governments have an opportunity to agree on this once in a decade.”
Earlier in the day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced up to C$800 million ($586 million) over seven years on four Indigenous-led conservation efforts to help the country preserve 30 percent of its land by 2030.
More than one million species are now at risk of extinction, especially insects, which are disappearing at a rate not seen in 10 million years. According to the 2022 UN Global Land Outlook Assessment, 40 percent of Earth’s land surface is considered degraded.