- Formal negotiations
- Finance
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- Digital sequence information
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- Marine biodiversity
- Planning, monitoring, reporting and review
- Article 8(j) implementation
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The global target to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and water ecosystems by 2030 faces “huge” challenges, a top facilitator of UN biodiversity talks warned ahead of the COP16 summit starting next week in the Colombian city of Cali.
According to the UN’s biodiversity agency, only 29 countries – out of 196 – have so far submitted key updates to their national biodiversity plans, which are meant to include ways to reach the headline 2030 conservation goal agreed in 2022 in Montreal.
Chirra Achalender Reddy, chair of India’s National Biodiversity Authority and head of work on implementation at the UN biodiversity negotiations, said countries face a “humongous” challenge to meet the 30% by 2030 target – known as “30×30” – and need to formulate strong National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to get there.
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“This is not just a walk in the park. The challenges that parties are facing are huge and complex,” Achalender Reddy told journalists at a briefing on Wednesday ahead of the COP16 summit.
“This is a very ambitious target when you take the 196 parties into consideration. Different countries have different circumstances, different capabilities and different priorities. The differences between parties makes this exercise very challenging,” he added.
Little protection for oceans
A report published on Thursday by a consortium of nature NGOs and foundations estimates that only 8.3% of the world’s ocean has been designated as marine protected areas (MPAs). When accounting for the lack of enforcement and loopholes that still allow for overfishing and fossil fuel extraction, just 2.8% of MPAs are likely to be effectively protected, it added.
The report warned that, at the current rate of progress, no more than 9.7% of the ocean will be protected by 2030.
In a foreword, John Kerry, former US secretary of state, and José María Figueres, former president of Costa Rica, urged governments to “act together with urgency” to meet the 30×30 target.
“Protecting and conserving at least 30% of the world’s ocean is vital to safeguard marine biodiversity and the billions of people who depend on it for their livelihoods and food security,” they wrote. “It is also essential to preserving the ocean’s ability to act as our greatest climate ally by absorbing billions of tonnes of carbon emissions every year.”
New biodiversity plans
At COP15 in December 2022, countries adopted a landmark deal known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which lays out a set of 23 targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, including the 30×30 goal.
Countries were tasked with setting national targets that are aligned with the global ones, as well as updating their NBSAPs with specific action plans on how to implement the GBF.
The plans are meant to make progress towards a range of GBF goals including restoring 30% of all degraded ecosystems, reducing subsidies that harm nature by at least $500 billion per year, raising $200 billion a year for nature protection, and disclosing biodiversity impacts from businesses.
Most governments missed an October deadline to submit their updated biodiversity plans, including megadiverse countries like COP16 host nation Colombia, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia. Colombia’s vice-minister of environment, Mauricio Cabrera, said in a statement that the country will present its updated NBSAP on October 21, the first day of the summit.
More NBSAPs are expected to be announced at COP16, according to Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), who said the involvement of diverse government agencies in the plans was a positive outcome.
“This whole-of-government approach, bringing various ministries together, discussing amongst them and coming to agreement remains the strongest expression of political will and commitment,” Schomaker told reporters. “But it also takes more time.”
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Nina Mikander, director of policy at Birdlife International, urged governments to commit at COP16 to deliver outstanding NBSAPs by the end of 2025. “Having a plan is just the first step to making sure that you’re able to progress on implementation,” she said.
In contrast, more countries have presented national targets, with 91 countries filing submissions, as reported by UN Biodiversity’s Schomaker.
“Parties have been focusing on national targets. Full NBSAPs take longer to prepare,” Achalender Reddy said. “The adoption of the NBSAP, when done right, involves a political process that culminates in the adoption at a high political level.”
Biodiversity fund nearly empty
Those biodiversity plans that have been presented to date vary in ambition, an analysis by WWF shows. While some countries addressed all of the commitments in the GBF, others did not.
Australia’s NBSAP, for example, has no action plan for implementation and avoids a commitment by developed countries to pledge financial support for conservation in developing countries, according to the WWF analysis.
New biodiversity plans should also recognise the “rights of indigenous peoples and other rights-holders”, said Achalender Reddy – which can often involve a long consultation process.
Biodiversity finance will also likely influence the production of updated NBSAPs, as developing countries face funding barriers in stepping up their efforts to protect nature, experts told Climate Home. Colombia, for example, has announced a $40-billion clean-energy transition investment plan that also aims to mobilise finance for forest restoration and sustainable use of ecosystems.
At the previous COP15, countries agreed to establish a biodiversity fund to support nature conservation, but it has so far received a scarce $200 million, and has faced hurdles to get up and running.
Despite the slow progress on finance and national plans, the UN’s biodiversity agency believes the GBF goals can be met.
“We really believe that through decisive action and by working together in solidarity, parties will be able to achieve the targets of the GBF by 2030,” Schomaker said. “Because they must achieve the targets of the GBF by 2030.”
(Reporting by Sebastian Rodriguez; editing by Megan Rowling)
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COP16 confronts “huge” challenge of protecting 30% of world’s land and sea
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Prepared by a coalition of nine Western Australian union, industry, conservation, and community organisations—including UnionsWA, the Conservation Council WA, and the Smart Energy Council—the WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan provides a practical roadmap to transform Western Australia into a clean energy powerhouse while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
Western Australia stands at a pivotal crossroads: lead the global clean energy economy or watch investment, future industries, and secure jobs go elsewhere. The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan outlines a transformative blueprint to harness the state’s world-class solar and wind resources. Discover how legislated renewable targets, green iron manufacturing, and a dedicated regional training strategy can generate tens of thousands of local jobs, lower household bills, and build a resilient, net-zero future for all Western Australians.
WA needs a clear and forward-thinking plan if it is going to become a competitive renewable energy powerhouse and maintain its economic strength through the energy transition.
“Western Australians know a faster renewable energy transition will lower their household expenses and prevent harmful climate pollution. But the community also needs clear direction to ensure this transition will create jobs, lower costs and not cause undue environmental harm.
“Here, sectors representing a broad range of interests have laid the groundwork for those outcomes, clearly outlining what is needed to create a future for WA that is good for the environment, for the climate, for workers and for the economy.
Summary
The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan sets out a strategic roadmap to position Western Australia as a global clean energy superpower while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
The report establishes three overarching goals:
- Creating local employment.
- Maintaining industrial competitiveness.
- Lowering household energy costs
To realize this vision, the framework details actionable measures to follow on from the recent WA Government announcement of a 75% Renewable Energy Target by 2031 for the South West Interconnected System. This includes developing a statewide Renewable Energy Target, coordinating statewide workforce and training pipelines, strategically planning regional infrastructure to safeguard high-value biodiversity and cultural heritage, and ensuring equitable benefit-sharing through household electrification incentives and First Nations equity partnerships. Ultimately, the plan highlights that establishing clear policy and regulatory certainty will unlock lower energy bills, boost power reliability, and secure the state’s global competitiveness in emerging green commodity export markets.
Key Findings
- Statewide Renewable Energy Target and Emissions Reduction Targets: The report calls for a statewide RET and 1.5°C aligned emission reduction targets to remove policy risk, lower capital costs, and attract clean energy investment.
- Transformative Job Creation: Accelerating the transition offers massive employment prospects, including up to 8,800 solar and battery jobs by 2050, as well as 24,000 ongoing and 11,000 construction jobs in a commercial green iron industry.
- Industrial Electrification & Competitiveness: Requiring large gas users to adopt binding electrification timetables and providing concessional financing will protect existing energy-intensive manufacturers from rising energy costs and impending domestic gas shortfalls.
- Green Commodity Export Leadership: Western Australia can build new export markets in green iron, green ammonia, and offshore oil/gas decommissioning by constructing shared common-user infrastructure and setting dedicated Green Commodity Export Targets.
- Coordinated Workforce & Training Pipeline: To address critical skill shortages the plan recommends establishing a WA Clean Energy Jobs Plan 2050, three regional training hubs, and dedicated pathways for female and under-represented apprentices.
- Environmental Safeguards & Community Benefits: Fast-tracked development must be paired with State Planning Policies that avoid high-biodiversity and cultural heritage lands, mandate new data centres to run on additional renewable power, and deliver household electrification rebates and First Nations equity partnerships.
What you can do
WA has an opportunity to lead on sustainable, clean energy and associated industries. You can help by:
- Sending an email to Environment Minister Murray Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling on them to reject Browse.
- Sharing this story to help more Australians understand what’s at stake.
- Encouraging your friends and family to take action.
Countries have completed the first “global review” of their progress towards reversing nature loss by 2030 at the COP17 biodiversity talks in Yerevan, Armenia.
The review “notes with deep concern” that, unless action is “rapidly accelerated”, the goal to reverse nature loss and meet a set of 23 targets by 2030 “will not be achieved”.
It “urges” countries to accelerate action, including by “increased ambition in addressing the gaps”.
Much of the discussions in Yerevan focused on how to raise the necessary funds to help developing countries protect nature.
Some major economies pushed to expand the range of nations that are expected to provide finance, with countries agreeing at the end of the two weeks of talks that non-donors that want to contribute can “signal interest” before COP18.
This came after developed countries failed to meet a target to significantly ramp up nature finance over the last few years.
It also came as a landmark fund agreed at COP16 in Colombia to pay communities for the genetic resources derived from nature stands nearly empty two years on.
The Yerevan talks marked the halfway point of the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” (GBF), the “Paris Agreement for nature” first made in 2022 and due to be achieved by 2030.
During the nearly 12-hour-long final plenary, countries voted for Quito, Ecuador, to host the COP18 nature talks, which will be held in 2028.
Countries managed to sign off on all the major negotiation texts, marking a stark contrast to COP16, which ran so far over time that the Colombian presidency lost “quorum”, forcing talks to resume in Rome months later.
Below, Carbon Brief has detailed analysis of all of the key outcomes from COP17.
Formal negotiations
Finance
Finance, predictably, was at the heart of the discord and deadlock at the Yerevan talks.
At COP17, discussions on finance had to achieve several outcomes.
The first part – to take stock of biodiversity finance mobilised so far to meet the nature deal’s goals – fell under the global review.
As the global report noted, developed countries failed to meet their commitments to raise “at least $20bn a year by 2025” for nature. Delegates pointed to falling aid levels and a sharp 27% decline in environmental funding for the 2026-30 period.
The second part was to agree on how to mobilise resources for the next four years, to meet the GBF’s goals and targets.
Calls to “broaden the contributor base” of who pays to protect nature – and whether that should include emerging economies – became the most fraught element of the talks.
Eventually, countries agreed on what Switzerland described as a “super, mega-delicate” text. It hinged on major “political compromises”, with “no major winner or loser”, according to Kenya.
Per the decision, countries that want to be included on a list of developed country donors can “signal interest” through bilateral, confidential consultations before COP18 and every alternate COP after.
Finally, countries also agreed on criteria to shape and resource a new, permanent financial mechanism to protect nature after 2030.
However, this did not immediately take the form of a new fund under the COP that biodiverse countries have demanded since 2022, deferring the mechanism’s institutional structure to COP18.
Resource mobilisation discussions at the GBF’s halfway mark were supposed to agree on how to close the “biodiversity finance gap” and to “increase resources from all sources” to “at least” $200bn per year by 2030, as set out in target 19 of the GBF.
The talks were largely dominated by a push, led by the JUSCANZ bloc of developed countries, to “broaden the contributor base”. This could see emerging economies, such as Qatar, China, Saudi Arabia and India, being added to the list of countries that pay to protect nature.
Article 20 of the UN C