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Nature Deal Talks Overtime: Key Issues Unresolved
30 Oct
Summary
- Nations are struggling to reach a compromise at the UN biodiversity summit.
- Key disputes include subsidy reform and funding for conservation efforts.
- A fund for sharing profits from genetic data has attracted minimal funding.
The UN biodiversity summit entered its final hours on Friday, with talks extending beyond the scheduled end as nations struggled to agree on terms for a crucial nature restoration deal. Tensions are high, with significant divisions persisting after nearly two weeks of negotiations in Armenia.
Governments face immense pressure to find a compromise for global nature health, as the UN warned that the world is failing to meet its 2030 target to halt and reverse environmental destruction. Observers highlighted ongoing disputes over concrete recommendations for action and progress against the 2030 deadline.
A core disagreement centers on language surrounding subsidy reform, with governments making little headway on their pledge to decrease public spending on activities detrimental to nature, such as fossil fuels. Another major row involves generating new funds for global conservation, a contentious issue exacerbated by strained public budgets and ongoing conflicts.
Significant funding gaps persist, with an estimated $700 billion more needed annually for ecosystem restoration, species preservation, and habitat conservation. Efforts to revitalize the Cali Fund, intended to raise $1 billion yearly for conservation in developing countries, have been largely unsuccessful, attracting only around $10,000 so far.
Nations have also clashed over scientific reports, with some countries reportedly impeding the acceptance of key findings from a UN-backed biodiversity body. Despite adopting a historic pact in 2022 to halt biodiversity loss, many objectives, including protecting 30 percent of land and oceans, have fallen short.
The negotiations in Yerevan have been marked by a sluggish pace, even as indigenous leaders and civil society activists urge greater urgency. Ministers joined talks this week to expedite progress, but major decisions are anticipated only in the final moments, with a risk of lowered ambition.
At the previous biodiversity summit in Colombia in 2024, talks also ran overtime, ultimately ending without a deal. Negotiations later resumed in Rome in early 2025, where an agreement was eventually reached. COP17 is also expected to determine whether Panama or Ecuador will host the next summit in 2028.
