YEREVAN, Armenia / AfricaWire.IO / – More than one million species are threatened with extinction due to ongoing human destruction of natural habitats, warned United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday. During the Leaders’ Summit held in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 16, he emphasized the urgent need for global measures to combat environmental degradation. This event took place just before the 17th UN Biodiversity Conference, COP17, which Armenia is hosting from October 19 to 30. Guterres stated that such destruction jeopardizes the future of life on Earth.
The Secretary-General urged governments to increase investments in solutions that protect ecosystems and called for greater engagement from businesses and local communities. He highlighted climate change, overgrazing, and the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides as primary factors fueling the triple planetary crisis. Pollution, loss of biodiversity, and climate change are collectively pushing the planet closer to becoming uninhabitable, he warned. However, he also stressed that this scenario is not inevitable.
Four years after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Guterres noted that progress has been uneven and insufficiently rapid. The 2022 agreement aimed to conserve 30% of the Earth’s land and sea by 2030. Since then, nearly 90% of parties have adopted national biodiversity targets, with more than half creating national road maps. He described the Yerevan gathering as a pivotal moment for accountability at the halfway point of these commitments.
$30 spent on harm for every $1 on nature
Guterres pointed out a significant imbalance in global spending on nature. For every dollar invested in conservation, $30 is directed toward activities that harm the environment. In 2023 alone, $7.3 trillion was invested in industries detrimental to nature, including heavy industry, destructive agriculture, and fossil fuels. He urged governments to eliminate such subsidies permanently. Additionally, Guterres highlighted the Cali Fund, which encourages companies benefiting from nature to contribute financially.
To meet biodiversity, climate, and land restoration goals, the UN chief said annual investments of $571 billion are needed by 2030, which is roughly 0.5% of the global gross domestic product. Despite this, biodiversity financing remains below half of the $200 billion yearly target set within the framework. Guterres also pointed out that heavy debt burdens, limited budgets, and an unjust international financial system hamper developing countries’ ability to fund nature preservation efforts.
Current commitments cover only 26% of land
Existing pledges fall short of achieving the 30% conservation target. If all countries fulfill their current promises, only 26% of terrestrial ecosystems and 12% of marine ecosystems would be protected by 2030. Since 2022, formal protection has increased by 1.3 million square kilometers of land and 6 million square kilometers of ocean. Guterres called on nations to shift from policies that harm nature to those that sustain it.
He also emphasized the importance of involving young people, civil society, women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, recognizing that environmental decline often impacts the most vulnerable groups hardest. The Secretary-General welcomed the Yerevan Declaration’s commitment to integrating biodiversity into policies, budgets, and regulations. He stressed that biodiversity is interconnected with conflict, food security, disease, and climate change. COP17 proceedings commence in Yerevan on October 19.”}]}#