In the struggle for a new world agreement on nature, the Chinese presidency presented an unexpectedly far-reaching draft to the UN biodiversity conference in Montréal on Sunday. In it, China adopts the goal of putting at least 30 percent of the earth’s land and sea under effective protection by 2030; this is considered the most important measure to stop the loss of species and ecosystems. In addition, by 2030, renaturation measures are to be launched on 30 percent of ecologically damaged ecosystems. With both proposals, China meets demands from the EU, among other things; Developing countries should get more money for this.
The “presidency paper” is considered to be decisive for the outcome of the conference. Changes are possible, but in principle the Member States have the choice of approving or rejecting the draft. Unanimity is required to adopt a new “Global Framework Agreement on Biodiversity”. The Chinese draft will be presented to the environment ministers of the 196 member states of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity for discussion and approval. A decision is not expected until Tuesday night.
Shortly before the end, it is still uncertain whether the conference will end successfully
A success of the conference is uncertain. On Sunday it was still unclear whether all 196 signatory states to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity would agree to the planned agreement being passed. Some developing countries drew strict red lines. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) was cautiously confident, stressed in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung but at the same time, the exit is open. “The possibility for a strong agreement that actually protects nature worldwide is there,” said Lemke in Montréal. But the struggle is tough because it is about the substantial interests of many countries. “Pesticide reductions, the dismantling of environmentally harmful subsidies and generally better protection for many areas – these are big chunks”.
The biggest hurdle is the dispute over the financing of nature conservation in developing countries. The most species-rich areas on earth are located there, which is why the protection of biodiversity must also focus on them. The developing countries demand at least 100 billion dollars a year from the industrialized countries, as in the case of climate protection, in order to be able to protect their biodiversity effectively. So far, this has been offset by commitments of around ten billion.
Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and appointed by the Chinese COP Presidency as a special representative, called for compromises on both sides. “If some decide not to move, it is not yet certain that we will come out of this with a win,” he told the SZ. There is little chance of meeting the $100 billion requirement if more countries don’t pay. He expressly held China responsible. The country insists on being considered a “recipient country”, citing its classification as a developing country in the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change. “The world has changed dramatically since 1992,” said Flasbarth, referring to the country’s rise to become the world’s second largest economy. “Countries like China, but also from the Arab world, can hardly go back to this year.”
In the plenum of ministers from around 140 of the 196 member states of the Biodiversity Convention, fundamental differences became clear before the final negotiations. The Indonesian Deputy Environment Minister Alue Dohong named as a “red line” that no upper limit for the use of pesticides in agriculture should be set. The country recently said that a cap would endanger the food supply in the country. India made a similar statement. On the other hand, EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius made it clear that the 27 member states insist on reducing the use of pesticides by 50 percent. “If you want to save a boat from sinking, you have to plug all the holes.”
China’s blueprint now accommodates developing countries on money and developed countries on protection levels. It is envisaged that the industrialized countries will pay the countries of the Global South at least 20 billion US dollars per year to finance nature conservation by 2025. This corresponds to a doubling of previous commitments. By 2025, the amount is expected to grow to at least $30 billion per year.
Longtime observers are skeptical
As for pesticides, China has adopted the goal of “reducing the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half.” However, the possibility of “integrated pest control” remains a loophole.
By Monday, the ministers of the 196 member states of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity – all countries in the world with the exception of the USA and the Vatican – are to adopt the new international treaty on nature. Science, environmental organizations and many states are expecting an agreement that will be as important for nature and climate protection as the Paris climate agreement, which was adopted seven years ago.
However, long-time observers have recently been skeptical. “This time the mood is more aggressive, the willingness to compromise less,” said Axel Paulsch. The chairman of the Institute for Biodiversity has been supporting the biodiversity negotiations for twenty years. “The fact that one day before the end of the summit we still haven’t solved any of the sticking points that were previously known is a bad sign.” The appeals at the end of the official ministerial consultations sounded correspondingly urgent. “Consensus is possible, we did it in Paris, we can do it in Montréal. We have the power to change the course of history,” said Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. “Let’s give nature a Paris moment.”