At COP16, Guterres urges world to ‘choose wisely…make peace with nature’
29 October 2024
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt – UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday urged world leaders to “choose wisely…make peace with nature” as he opened the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
“We are at a crossroads,” Guterres said. “We can continue down the path of destruction, or we can choose wisely and make peace with nature.”
Guterres stressed that the world is facing a “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and that “these crises are interconnected and mutually reinforcing.”
“We cannot solve one without addressing the others,” he said. “And we cannot afford to wait any longer.”
Guterres called for “urgent and transformative action” to address the triple planetary crisis, and outlined a number of steps that world leaders can take, including:
- Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency
- Protecting and restoring forests, oceans and other ecosystems
- Reducing pollution of all kinds
- Shifting to sustainable agriculture and food systems
- Promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns
“The choices we make today will determine the future of our planet,” Guterres said. “Let us choose wisely. Let us make peace with nature.”
COP16 is taking place from 29 October to 11 November 2024, and is expected to adopt a new global biodiversity framework to guide conservation efforts over the next decade.
The framework is expected to include targets for protecting land and sea, reducing pollution, and promoting sustainable agriculture and fisheries.
It is also expected to address the issue of climate change, and its impacts on biodiversity.
COP16 is being attended by representatives from governments, businesses, civil society organizations and indigenous peoples from around the world.
At COP16, Guterres urges world to ‘choose wisely…make peace with nature’
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