December 17, 2024
COP16 and Hope
In the weeks leading up to COP16, I remember sitting on my sofa frantically researching the different UN bodies and what exactly a ‘quorum’ was. UN Conferences like the COPs are complex, wordy and it’s not uncommon to spot a 7-letter acronym dotted amongst the key documents. I wanted to understand not only why the conference was important for the journalists with which I work, but also why it’s significant for me, as a citizen who cares about climate change and protecting nature. COP (which stands for Conference of the Parties) is a UN-organised conference, designed to bring governments, businesses, civil society, NGOs and activists together, in the hope of creating spaces for dialogueand collaborative action on global issues.
The origin of all three COPs can be traced back to 1992, when the Earth Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and attendees launched the three Rio Conventions toaddress three of the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity – the UNFCCC for climate change, the CBD for biodiversity loss and the UNCCD for desertification. There have been 16 biodiversity COPs so far, the first having taken place in the Bahamas in 1994 and the most recent occurring in Cali, Colombia earlier this year in October/November.
This year’s biodiversity COP was touted as the ’first implementation COP’, it being the first chance for countries to review their progress against targets established under the Kunming-Montreal framework, a watershed agreement established in Montreal,Canada where nations committed to stopping and reversing nature loss by the year 2030. Although negotiations this year ran into overtime, and some decisions were not reached due to lack of quorum (there itis!), there were some important strides taken in Cali, which I’ll summarise, below:
A permanent subsidiary body was created to formalise the role of Indigenous people in global biodiversity decision-making. Although we only have one Indigenous group in Europe and none in the UK, the values to which Indigenous people ascribe is relevant to us all, especially in a country like the UK, where it sometimes feels like nature is sidelined and sacrificed for a new housing development or car parks. Indigenous communities all around the globe see themselves as guardians of biodiversity and have long fought to recognise the rights of nature. In Canada, New Zealand and the US, rivers have been given legal personhood, and I started thinking how the River Irwell would look if we thought of it as a living entity? Seeing nature as a living being is perhaps a new idea in the UK, but one that may help us see nature less as a resource to exploit and more of an equal which requires our care and protection.
The concept One Health joins together planetary, animal and human health and during COP16, a new action plan was put together to emphasise and create awareness about these interlinkages. The destruction of biodiversity and habitat loss leads to more interactions between human and animals, increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases. The hardship, losses and disruption caused by Covid 19, a zoonotic disease, should be a lesson to us all, and a warning that if we partake in activities that destroy animal habitats, such diseases will only become more rife.
As well as preventing diseases, protecting nature is essential for our wellbeing. I went to an event led by Canadian GPs who set up a program where they prescribe ‘nature’. Research found that being in nature can not only reduce stress, but boost our immune system and reduce depression. In a practical sense, patients under this program are given free passes and transports to national parks and green spaces. As a Whalley Range resident, I’m glad that we have some lovely parks around, there are many areas of Manchester and towns in the North which have no green spaces. The issue of congested streets and grey cityscapes therefore is not just an inconvenience, but a threat to our physical and mental health, adding an extra layer of strain to our already under-funded NHS. Campaigning for green infrastructure can therefore have very real impacts on our health and wellbeing.
It was only in October this year that the UK government issued a moratorium on deep sea mining. 3 billion people in the world rely on the ocean for their livelihood and the UK, being an island, is no different. The ocean is important to us in so many ways – from wellbeing, and leisure activities to being a source of food and the Earth’s largest carbon sink. At COP16, countries agreed on creating and updating processes for identifying Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas or EBSMs. This means that areas of the sea which have sensitive and productive ecosystems, such as areas where marine life breed, will be better protected. This move will also help the UK reach its 30x30 goal, a target to protect 30% of the Earth's land and ocean by 2030.
The case was made clear at COP16 that climate change and biodiversity are intricately linked – biodiversity is impacted by the changes in the climate but it is also the key to stopping and reversing the impacts of awarming planet. The fact that climate change gains more attention in discussions on our planet’s future means those fighting to raise awareness of ecological damage and the need for conservation can leverage the dominant narrative power of climate change and more easily bring biodiversity matters into mainstream conversations.
One last reflection whilst not an official outcome but more of a personal take-away, is the importance and power of believing in positive outcomes for nature. Although I sometimes feel quite disillusioned and disappointed in the decisions our elected leaders make, attending COP16 showed me that steps forward can happen, and that through protest, community action and collaboration, we can protect the natural world and the people and animals which call it home. It is crucial we continue to challenge leaders and remain hopeful, which as Rebecca Solnit writes in ‘Hope in the Dark, can be galvanising;
This post was written by Jenny Davis who attended COP16 - we extend our thanks and appreciation to Jenny for her insight and time.
