MARSEILLE: Starting Friday, tens of thousands of representatives from some 160 countries and regions have gathered at the nine-day World Conservation Congress (WCC) in France’s port city of Marseille to address Planet Earth’s ecological plight.
The congress, held jointly by the French government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the theme “One Nature, One Future,” prepares for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) set for October in Kunming, China.
From Marseille to Kunming, France and China are working steadfastly for global action on nature conservation.
Addressing the WCC, French President Emmanuel Macron called it “part of a dynamic” which makes 2021 a very important year, as a third global event on environment, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), is slated for November in Glasgow, Scotland. He urged the world to “re-synchronize” the two agendas — one for climate and the other for biodiversity.
“The urgency is to re-synchronize these two agendas, to get everyone understand that the battle for climate is linked intrinsically to the battle for preserving and restoring biodiversity,” said Macron.
“We are already too late in terms of biodiversity. We must catch up,” he noted.
By organizing this congress, France expects to confirm its commitment to supporting the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, and more widely, its international role in environmental and climate issues.
Six years ago, it was in Paris that climate negotiators of 196 parties to the UN conference on climate change sealed the milestone climate pact aimed at reversing the trend of temperature rises mainly caused by carbon emissions.
China, which helped bring about some key breakthroughs during the negotiations, remains steadfast and active in addressing climate change and implementing the Paris Agreement.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, via video link, told the WCC that China’s national carbon market, the world’s largest in terms of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions covered, was launched recently, and China stands ready to work with all parties to build a clean and beautiful world.
On further improving global ecological environmental governance, Li called on the world to adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and strive to promote the construction of a fair, reasonable and win-win global environmental governance system.
Actually this is one of the core missions of the Marseille congress. During a series of in-person and online events, states, local governments, scientists, private sector and civil society representatives will discuss the major objectives of the post-2020 global framework for biodiversity, a key milestone expected to be achieved during the COP15 in Kunming.
“Our post-2020 nature and biodiversity framework must be universal, innovative and transformative. It should support a post-COVID economic recovery respecting Nature while being just and inclusive,” said IUCN President Zhang Xinsheng at the WCC opening ceremony. – Agencies
