COP17: Yerevan pathway for nature leaves out the money and the detail
UN summit in Armenia ended with few concrete steps to address drivers of biodiversity loss, as disagreements exposed gap between targets and action The post COP17: Yerevan pathway for nature leaves out the money and the detail appeared first on Dialogue Earth .
The COP17 biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia, ended with delegates expressing disappointment over the lack of urgency and concrete solutions to address the global biodiversity crisis. The conference aimed to finalize the Global Biodiversity Framework, which outlines targets for protecting species, ecosystems, and genetic diversity by 2030. However, the resulting Yerevan Pathway largely reiterated existing commitments and provided little detail on practical steps to achieve the desired outcomes.
Negotiators struggled to reach consensus on several key issues, including the role of Indigenous peoples, the high seas, and harmful subsidies that contribute to biodiversity loss. Developed countries were encouraged to increase support to developing nations, but no specific funding amounts were proposed. The estimated gap between what is needed and what has been raised is around USD 700 billion.
A coalition of developed nations, JUSCANZ, proposed expanding the donor base to include emerging economies like China and India, but this request was not met. Instead, countries could voluntarily contribute without formal participation in the donor list. The debate over the allocation of existing subsidies that harm nature revealed a significant funding shortfall needed to address the crisis.
Progress on reforming harmful financial practices and increasing public finance for biodiversity conservation has been limited. The Global Review found that the goal of raising USD 20 billion annually by 2025 and USD 30 billion by 2030 was likely missed, with actual funding reaching only about USD 19 billion in 2024 and averaging around USD 16 billion over 2023-2025.
While the Yerevan COP was smaller and quieter than the previous summit, delegates faced tense negotiations, with some countries resisting commitments to address the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss. Despite these challenges, the conference achieved more than anticipated, showcasing the resilience of the multilateral system in raising awareness about the importance of nature conservation.
Written by urgent.news from Dialogue Earth's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
