UN Environment Programme

November 15, 2022
The natural world is the centre of life on Earth. Ecosystems – from forests, grasslands and peat bogs to oceans, rivers, savannahs and mountains – provide a vast range of services vital to the survival of humanity. They provide food and fresh water, protect us from disasters and disease, prop up the global economy, and crucially play a central role in tackling the climate crisis.

Tomorrow, discussions at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), in Egypt will focus on the critical role of biodiversity to climate action. And this will be high on the agenda again at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal next month.

There, the world will be watching as leaders come together to agree on a new set of global goals for actions through 2040 to protect and restore nature. While COP15 focuses on nature and biodiversity loss, and COP27 on tackling the climate crisis, experts say these issues are deeply entwined, and neither can be solved on their own.

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China Daily

May 27, 2022
Humanity has only one home - the Earth. But it isn't ours exclusively. We share our beautiful planet - this stunning blue marble - with millions of other species, and our existence is intertwined with theirs. For the sake of all living things, we must ensure a healthy and thriving planet.

This simple yet important truth is reflected in this year's International Day for Biological Diversity theme: "building a shared future for all life". This theme could not be more compelling, because currently we are failing our Mother Earth.

The planet is at a breaking point. With 75 percent of the Earth's land, and two-thirds of its oceans, now affected by humans, environmental disruption is escalating at an unprecedented rate. An estimated 150 to 200 species are going extinct each day, and one-fifth of all nations could see ecosystems collapse due to destruction of wildlife habitats. In addition, carbon emissions are higher than ever.

If the world is to sustain future generations, we must fundamentally fix our broken relationship with nature.

To this end, at part one of the COP15 summit of the Convention on Biological Diversity, we saw some important steps being made. The international community came together to sign the Kunming Declaration, agreeing to integrated actions for the protection of biodiversity around the world. China also announced the establishment of the 1.5 billion yuan ($223 million) Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support conservation efforts in developing countries, and the United Nations Development Programme and UN Environment Programme look forward to offering support in its operation.

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