It is a rare occurrence that all major nature conservation organizations in Germany agree on one issue. It is even more unusual that they praise the federal government with one voice. The announcement by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) that he would increase financial support for global nature conservation to 1.5 billion euros a year, more than doubling it, is a big step in the right direction.
The announcement shows that the federal government is finally taking species extinction seriously. And it gives hope that the biodiversity crisis, which is at least as threatening to humanity as the much more present climate change, has not been forgotten. This is all the more remarkable given the war in Ukraine and the never-ending pandemic.
The timing of the announcement was also chosen wisely. In a few weeks, at the beginning of December, the World Conference on Nature will start in Montreal, Canada, at which a binding agreement on the protection of animals, plants and their habitats is to be adopted. For a long time, environmentalists attached great hopes to the summit: it was intended to mark a turning point from which nature should no longer be ruthlessly exploited, but treated with care and protected.
The clear words that Olaf Scholz found are worth just as much as the money.
In recent weeks and months, however, only incorrigible optimists believed that this could actually succeed. The preliminary negotiations for the agreement proved to be infinitely complicated and ultimately got bogged down in a quagmire of vested interests. Scholz’ financing commitment has the potential to pull them out again. Because in many points an agreement ultimately failed because of the question: “And who will pay for all this?”
Of course, the 1.5 billion euros pledged annually by Germany are not enough to solve all the world’s environmental problems. According to estimates, more than 700 billion euros per year would be needed to turn the tide towards a responsible approach to nature. But they are a strong signal that will hopefully encourage other industrialized nations to do the same and bear some of the immense costs.
The clear words that Olaf Scholz found on the fringes of the UN assembly in New York are worth just as much as the money. Among other things, the Chancellor spoke out in favor of putting 30 percent of the planet under protection. The glimmer of hope grows brighter.