At COP16, Guterres urges world to ‘choose wisely…make peace with nature’
29 October 2024
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to “choose wisely…make peace with nature” as he opened the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
“We are at a crossroads,” Guterres said. “We can continue on our current path, which is leading to the destruction of our planet and its people. Or we can choose a different path, a path that leads to a sustainable and equitable future for all.”
The world is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, Guterres said. These crises are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, and they threaten the well-being of current and future generations.
“We cannot solve one crisis without addressing the others,” Guterres said. “We need a holistic approach that addresses all three crises in an integrated way.”
COP16 is a critical opportunity to take action on the biodiversity crisis, Guterres said. The conference is expected to adopt a new global biodiversity framework that will set out targets and actions to protect and restore nature.
“This framework must be ambitious and transformative,” Guterres said. “It must set clear targets and timelines for action. And it must be backed by the resources and political will to make it a reality.”
Guterres also called on world leaders to end the war on nature.
“We have waged a war on nature, and nature is striking back,” Guterres said. “We are seeing this in the form of more frequent and extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and the loss of biodiversity.”
“We need to make peace with nature,” Guterres said. “This means protecting and restoring our forests, oceans, and other ecosystems. It means reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases. And it means changing the way we produce and consume food.”
“The future of our planet and our people depends on it,” Guterres said.
COP16 is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 29 October to 13 November 2024. The conference is expected to bring together more than 10,000 participants, including government officials, scientists, business leaders, and civil society representatives.
At COP16, Guterres urges world to ‘choose wisely…make peace with nature’
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