Bruna Alves
Research lead covering environment and sustainability
UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) - statistics & facts
In November 2022, all eyes were on the United Nations’ Climate Summit (COP27) in Egypt. Less than a month later, an equally important, albeit much less reported on, Conference of Parties took place in Montréal – COP15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Tasked with devising a new framework process for the next decade, the convention aims to halt and revert global biodiversity loss by 2030. An increase in land protection, sustainable production, and the necessary financial commitments were some of the main topics under discussion.
Another heated topic was that of pollution, in particular agricultural pollution from pesticides and fertilizers. While some parties demanded a deadline for phasing out the most harmful substances, the final agreement only saw a target to reduce the excess nutrients lost to the environment as well as the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half by 2030. Global agricultural consumption of pesticides nearly doubled between 1990 and 2021, surpassing 3.5 million metric tons in the latter year.
Other contentious issues during COP15 included indigenous rights, the reduction of subsidies toward sectors that harm biodiversity, biodiversity financing, and debt relief – the latter two called upon mainly by developing nations, which host the largest shares of global biodiversity.
The 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) is scheduled to take place in October 2024, in Cali, Colombia.
What is the UN Biodiversity Conference?
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity was first established during the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. It has since been ratified by 196 countries. Similar to the UNFCCC, it is governed by the Conference of Parties (COP). Starting with COP1 in Nassau, Bahamas in 1994, the COP has since 1998 gathered every two years, with COP15 taking place in Montréal from December 5 to 19, 2022. The main targets of the CBD are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its elements, and the fair sharing of the benefits of genetic resources’ use.The key topics in focus at COP15
One of the main topics of debate during COP15 was the “30x30” pledge, which calls for at least 30 percent of the Earth’s land and oceans to be placed under protection by 2030. Although the landmark biodiversity agreement was passed without much resistance, non-governmental organizations have warned that this target is not ambitious enough, quoting the latest IPCC report, which stated a share of 30 to 50 percent would be needed. In 2021, around 22.5 million kilometers of terrestrial land, and around 28 million square kilometers of marine and ocean waters worldwide were protected, accounting for shares of 16.6 and 7.7 percent, respectively.Another heated topic was that of pollution, in particular agricultural pollution from pesticides and fertilizers. While some parties demanded a deadline for phasing out the most harmful substances, the final agreement only saw a target to reduce the excess nutrients lost to the environment as well as the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half by 2030. Global agricultural consumption of pesticides nearly doubled between 1990 and 2021, surpassing 3.5 million metric tons in the latter year.
Other contentious issues during COP15 included indigenous rights, the reduction of subsidies toward sectors that harm biodiversity, biodiversity financing, and debt relief – the latter two called upon mainly by developing nations, which host the largest shares of global biodiversity.
The 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) is scheduled to take place in October 2024, in Cali, Colombia.
