World fails to meet a single target to stop destruction of nature – UN report

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/15/every-global-target-to-stem-destruction-of-nature-by-2020-missed-un-report-aoe?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=5e07d7e01c-briefing-dy-20200916&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-5e07d7e01c-44992633

World fails to meet every UN biodiversity goal

We have not met any of the 20 United Nations biodiversity targets agreed on by almost 200 nations in 2010 in Aichi, Japan. There are hopeful signs to build on: in the last ten years, the rate of deforestation has fallen globally by about a third, and good fisheries-management policies have paid dividends. And 44% of key biodiversity areas are now protected, compared with 29% 20 years ago. These must inspire us to make “a significant shift away from ‘business as usual’ across a broad range of human activities” heading into the next Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) summit, says the report. One area that is ripe for reform is government subsidies for harmful agriculture, fossil fuels and fishing practices. “We are still seeing so much more public money invested in things that harm biodiversity than in things that support biodiversity,” says David Cooper, the report’s lead author.

The Guardian | 7 min read
Read more: CBD executive secretary Elizabeth Mrema on fighting for nature amid a pandemic (Nature | 6 min read, from May)Reference: Global Biodiversity Outlook report