With its climate law on climate neutrality by 2050 and its biodiversity strategy for 2030, the EU is presenting itself as the leader and driving force of global action for the health of the planet at the start of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (3-10 September) in Marseille.
The event, which takes place every 4 years, has been bringing together, since Friday 3 September, more than 1,500 participants - governments, scientists, NGOs and indigenous peoples’ groups - to work on developing solutions on seven themes covering all aspects of environmental health to ensure the success of the COP15 on biodiversity, postponed to April 2022, and the COP26 on climate (in Glasgow in November)
“The common goal is to put nature at the top of the international agenda - because our destinies are intrinsically linked: planet, climate, nature and human communities”, according to the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
The Red List of Threatened Species published on Saturday by the IUCN includes 138,374 species, of which 38,543 are threatened with extinction.
The EU hopes that the COP15 can lead to a global agreement comparable to that of the Paris Agreement.
“The battle for climate, the battle for biodiversity, is in fact the same battle. And it is the same determination that must drive us on the European level”, declared the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Among the priorities, he cited the oceans and forests, saying that with the implementation of the European Green Deal, “Europe certainly has a role to play in leading the way and taking action”.
With the EU having already banned the ten most common single-use plastic products, the next issue on the table is to identify “how to ban plastic from the oceans”.
He also insisted on increasing the amount of protected areas around Antarctica and sustainable transport in the Arctic.
One of the targets of the draft post-2020 global framework for biodiversity is to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030 (see EUROPE 12767/7), but the negotiating session that ended on 3 September did not overcome all differences, according to the UN.
Speaking on Saturday, the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, stressed the importance of restoring the health of the oceans: “It’s all connected: the climate crisis, plastic pollution, the collapse of our ecosystems. Protecting at least 30% of our oceans requires massive efforts. Now that our planet is facing extreme threats, taking action for high seas will help us bring back the balance we’ve lost”, he said.
On Monday, the WWF called on the world’s governments to reach a binding international agreement at the UN Environment Assembly in February 2022 on ending plastic pollution (see EUROPE 12783/7). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)