Conservation Summit Ends in Chaos, With Scant Agreement to Save Planet

COP16 was a two-week conservation summit in the Colombian city of Cali. It ended over the weekend. And it brought small progress and big headaches for nature activists and smaller world governments greatly concerned about climate change. Negotiators failed to reach agreement on an array of key issues.  

The summit ended in chaos. Many attendees were forced to depart to catch flights. It left the summit without a needed voting quorum. The lack of a final quorum could hinder some deals that were reached. 

Activists and scientists say human actions are wrecking our planet. And it's at a fast rate, they say. For instance, coral reefs are decaying in oceans across the globe. Droughts are drying up the 4,000-mile Amazon River. And the river's attached South American rainforest is also shrinking. 

Major issues were left without a proposed fix at the summit. One issue is how to preserve 30% of Earth’s land and seas. A second is how to prevent the world’s economic system from harming nature. A COP summit also was held in 2022 by the United Nations (UN). During it, a global treaty was agreed upon. The goal was to hit the 30% mark by cutting measures that hurt the planet by at least $500 billion. Those targets were supposed to be reached by 2030. They're not close to being on track.  

The planet needs attention now, Brian O’Donnell, director of the nonprofit Campaign for Nature, told The Guardian. COP16 ending without any finance plan is worrisome, O'Donnell said.

Negotiators reached some agreements at the summit. A vote passed to include Indigenous communities in the UN’s biodiversity decision-making process. They also agreed to levy fees on products made from nature’s DNA, a major step toward building a global conservation fund.   

Reflect: If you were part of a global meeting to protect the environment, what ideas would you suggest to make a real impact?