YEREVAN, Armenia / AfricaWire.IO / – Amid increasing concerns over environmental deterioration, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has emphasized the urgent need for international cooperation to address the crisis facing our planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity. His appeal was made during the Leaders’ Summit held in Yerevan, Armenia, on Friday, October 16, ahead of the 17th United Nations Biodiversity Conference, known as COP17, scheduled from October 19 to 30. Guterres issued a stark warning that over one million species are now at risk of extinction.
He called on governments worldwide to boost investments in strategies that safeguard natural habitats and ecosystems. Additionally, he urged increased engagement from the private sector and local communities in conservation initiatives. The Secretary-General pointed out that climate change, overgrazing, and the overuse of fertilisers and pesticides are fueling a triple planetary crisis—comprising pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change—that threatens to render the planet uninhabitable. Guterres underscored the severity of the situation, warning that we are approaching a point of no return.
Addressing the gathering in Yerevan, Guterres described the city as a pivotal moment for accountability on the path to 2030. In 2022, nations adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, aiming to conserve 30% of the world’s land and sea by the end of this decade. Since then, nearly 90% of participating countries have set national biodiversity targets, with more than half developing detailed road maps. Nevertheless, Guterres stressed that progress remains inconsistent and too sluggish to meet the urgency of the crisis.
Financial imbalance deepens between environmental harm and conservation efforts
Highlighting a significant discrepancy in global spending, Guterres pointed out that for every dollar allocated to protecting nature, $30 is invested in activities that damage it. In 2023, an estimated $7.3 trillion flowed into industries detrimental to the environment, including heavy industry, destructive agriculture, and fossil fuel extraction. He called on governments to cease harmful subsidies and recommended the UN-backed Cali Fund as a means for companies benefiting from natural resources to contribute financially. To meet biodiversity, climate, and land restoration goals, annual investments in nature-based solutions need to reach $571 billion by 2030—roughly 0.5% of global gross domestic product. Currently, biodiversity financing stands at less than half of the $200 billion per year agreed upon in the global framework. Guterres also highlighted that debt burdens and limited budgets hinder many developing nations from investing adequately in nature.
Current protection efforts fall short of targets
Despite commitments, the existing national efforts are insufficient to reach the 30% conservation goal. Even if all pledges are fulfilled, only 26% of terrestrial and 12% of marine ecosystems would be protected by 2030. Since 2022, an additional 1.3 million square kilometres of land and 6 million square kilometres of ocean have received formal protection status. Guterres urged nations to fulfill the 30 by 30 objective and shift from policies that harm nature to those that sustain it. He also called for broader inclusion of youth, civil society, women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, emphasizing that environmental decline disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable populations. The Secretary-General welcomed the Yerevan Declaration’s commitment to integrating biodiversity into national policies, budgets, and regulations. As delegations prepare for COP17, where collective progress towards the 2030 targets will be assessed, Guterres emphasized that there is no time to delay.