Since world leaders came to save the environment at the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement, COP16 in Colombia is the first event where countries have gathered to discuss global biodiversity.
World leaders, environmentalists, and leading academics arrive in Cali, Colombia, for a biodiversity conference that will significantly impact the future of the fast-diminishing wildlife populations in the world.
The host nation strives for the summit to be the most inclusive in history when it officially opened on Sunday night.
One of the goals of Columbia is to be the Cop of the People, where citizens, Afro-descendants, Campesino communities, Indigenous peoples, and scientists actively participate in the discussions. It means successfully engaging the support of the entire government and society to support biodiversity conservation.
The COP16 UN biodiversity summit will have 190 countries and 15,000 individuals to preserve the flora and fauna. Ecologists warn that the species may go extinct as the ecosystem reaches an inflection point.
The government of Gustavo Petro has stated that Indigenous people would be at the heart of COP16 as they have a significant role in protecting Colombia’s environment.
Earlier this week, the environment ministry declared that it would establish Indigenous-led environmental agencies with public authority to pay Colombia’s “historical debt” to indigenous communities. This move has empowered indigenous groups to protect their ecosystems.
Some people do not support COP16 inclusivity, where they would establish a green zone to attract the public, private sector, and general public. The green zone will hold 1000 events like workshops, panels, and musical performances from October 21 to November 1.
The leader of the Maguta people in the Amazon and a representative of Colombia’s Indigenous groups at COP16, Harol Ipuchima, claimed that the government’s idea of inclusivity is not in line with the reality that Indigenous peoples are not part of global environmental decision-making.
He expressed his frustration that, despite being the most knowledgeable in conservation, they are not allowed to participate in the decision-making process to safeguard the environment, a situation that has persisted for decades.
According to Ximena Barrera, head of government affairs and international relations at WWF Colombia, making COP16 accessible to everybody could be a potent way to engage people who are worried about the reduction of biodiversity but are unsure of how to take action.
Studies show that seven out of ten Colombians want to take action to stop the loss of biodiversity, and 46% are concerned about the condition of natural resources, and this would be a great way to inspire them to save the environment.
Since world leaders came to save the environment at the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement, COP16 is the first event where countries have gathered to discuss global biodiversity.
Just 2.8% of the ocean is protected, and the finance needed to safeguard nature is below $20 billion. Only 10% of the 196 parties that signed the 2022 agreement have released the environmental action plans they promised to deliver in China.
Since WWF has warned about declining wildlife and is beyond saving, environmentalists and researchers hope that COP16 is a crucial change for the government to save the world.
The world agreed to give a bold plan to protect biodiversity. According to Loreley Picourt, executive director of the Ocean and Climate Platform, an NGO that promotes the preservation of the world’s oceans, countries in Cali must now turn this aspiration into tangible action.
Representatives will try hard to use international budgets for environmental preservation and establish a system to guarantee that countries fulfill their commitments to safeguard the world’s rivers, forests, and seas.
According to Gavin Edwards, executive director of the Nature Positive Initiative Secretariat, Colombia is ideal for COP16 since it has various biodiversity and natural environments. It will show how conservation benefits both people and nature. However, it’s hard to notice this UN biodiversity conference amongst global elections and urgent national and international security concerns.
