Most of the nearly 200 participating States are now represented at ministerial level. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) traveled to Canada for Austria. “Now it’s about negotiating resolutely – and securing a good result,” Gewessler said in a statement on Saturday. “We are ready to make our contribution – but everyone else must do the same,” said the minister.
Austria is one of 116 countries that have come together in a “High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People”. The coalition is particularly committed to the implementation of the 30 percent protection target. This stipulates that by 2030, 30 percent of the world’s sea and land areas will be protected, according to the climate protection ministry.
However, this goal is still being heavily negotiated in Montreal – and as is so often the case, it is the details that are at stake. In the texts for a possible agreement, many points are still bracketed as unresolved. For example, the drafts state that the corresponding areas should be placed under “complete” or “strong” protection. Not all states are happy with such formulations and would like less specific formulations.
Warning of failure
Environmental protection organizations are already warning of the failure of the negotiations if there are such disputes. The time for a global agreement that “stops and reverses the loss of our species and habitats” is running out “faster and faster,” said Jörg-Andreas Krüger, President of the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU).
“In the negotiations to date, the initial level of ambition for the global protection and preservation of biodiversity has been lowered bit by bit. This calls into question the success of the World Conference on Nature.” The ministers must now “give the conference new impetus,” demanded Krüger. So far, there has been a lack of political will, said Florian Titze from the WWF – but: “Nothing is lost yet.”
request for financial support
Money is once again a key issue. Much depends on the question of whether the industrialized countries will significantly increase their financial support for developing countries. Many countries see the corresponding financial aid as a basic prerequisite for being able to achieve the environmental goals discussed in Montreal. A group of developing and emerging countries, led by Brazil, even temporarily left the negotiations in protest.
Brazil, one of the diplomatic heavyweights at the conference, along with India, Indonesia and African states, is calling for at least $100 billion a year in financial support from richer countries. That would be ten times the current amount flowing from developed to developing countries to boost biodiversity – and the equivalent of the $100 billion pledged but not yet fully disbursed to fight man-made global warming.
Initiative should get things moving in negotiations
An initiative that the German Environment Ministry announced on Saturday is intended to help solve this problem. The new partnership (“NBSAP Accelerator Partnership”) aims to support developing countries in adapting their national environmental policies to global environmental protection goals.
According to the German Ministry of the Environment, Germany will support the partnership that has been launched together with Colombia and other countries with 29 million euros. This is “an indispensable investment in our common future and the preservation of our livelihoods,” said German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens).
Appeals from Macron and Xi
On Saturday, France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron also called on the participants to reach an ambitious agreement. One should not make small decisions, but do the maximum, he wrote on Twitter. “Let’s bring together the most ambitious deal possible. The world needs it,” said Macron.
The day before, China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping had once again called for a consensus on better species protection. “We must build a global consensus on protecting biodiversity,” Xi said via video sharing. Ambitions must be turned into action. Developing countries also need to be supported in building their wildlife conservation capabilities, Xi said.
The Chinese head of state officially presides over the conference. The summit, which also goes by the abbreviation COP15, should have actually taken place in China in 2020. However, due to the CoV pandemic, it was postponed and also moved from China to Canada. A first part of the negotiations took place mainly online in Kunming, southwest China, in October, now followed by the meeting in Montreal.
The aim of the World Conference on Nature is an agreement on biodiversity that is of similar importance to the Paris climate agreement concluded in 2015. Time is of the essence: 70 percent of the world’s ecosystems are degraded, largely due to human activities. More than a million species are threatened with extinction. The economic future of mankind is also at stake. According to a calculation by the World Economic Forum, more than half of global economic output depends on nature.
WWF criticizes Austria’s handling of Natura 2000 areas
The environmental organization WWF meanwhile criticized Austria’s default in terms of protected areas in its own country. Austria is “still failing in the implementation of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000”, according to a broadcast. “Because of the poor foundations, countless infrastructure projects in Natura 2000 areas were incorrectly evaluated from the outset,” criticized WWF water protection expert Gerhard Egger.
The WWF Austria called for a halt to construction projects in Natura 2000 areas. This primarily applies to hydropower projects, such as at Kamp and Ybbs in Lower Austria or in the catchment area of the Osttiroler Isel. The EU Commission initiated infringement proceedings in September. Austria has until the end of January to react.