Governments are failing to meet their pledges to safeguard the plants, animals, and ecosystems that support life on Earth as the upcoming UN biodiversity summit approaches.
The COP17 summit in Yerevan, Armenia, will serve as a critical juncture for the nearly 200 nations that endorsed the landmark Paris Agreement for Nature in 2022 yet have lagged in implementing its goals.
The agreement established 23 targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, covering pollution reduction, protection of threatened species, and conservation of 30 % of global land and oceans.
However, a draft review by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) shows the world is off track to achieve these objectives.
“COP17 arrives at a pivotal moment,” says An Lambrechts of Greenpeace International. “The key outcome from Yerevan must be a decisive course correction; governments must move beyond reiterating commitments and agree on concrete actions.”
Astrid Schomaker, executive director of the UN biodiversity convention, notes that while progress is being made, the 2030 targets remain attainable only with substantial change.
This entails cutting incentives for politically sensitive sectors such as agriculture and fossil‑fuel production, where advancement has been minimal thus far.
“Do I believe we are heading in the right direction? Yes, but far too slowly,” Schomaker adds.
Approximately ten heads of state are expected in Yerevan on Friday, 16 October, for a leaders’ summit that will kick off proceedings and urge negotiators to be ambitious and constructive before formal talks begin on 19 October.
What is hindering progress on nature conservation?
The nature summit precedes the annual international climate negotiations (COP31) in neighbouring Türkiye and marks the first global stocktake since the biodiversity pact was adopted.
Drawing on national reports and other inputs, a comprehensive “global review” of achievements and shortcomings is being finalised.
A provisional scorecard released in July presented a mixed assessment of advancement.
Some nations have made strides toward the 30×30 conservation objective (protecting 30 % of Earth’s land and waters by 2030), according to a September analysis by Campaign for Nature.
Yet, when combined, current government pledges would safeguard only about 27 % of land and inland waters by the end of the decade if fully realised, and just 12 % of ocean areas.
Financing remains a major obstacle and a likely source of tension at COP17.
Countries are falling short of the pledge to mobilise $200 billion (≈ €179 billion) annually for biodiversity by 2030 from public and private sources, including $30 billion (≈ €27 billion) per year in international finance for developing nations.
Wealthy states face pressure to bridge the gap while contending with their own fiscal constraints, rendering the issue politically delicate.
The United States, which is not a party to the biodiversity convention, does not participate in the negotiations.
“The more time devoted to discussing funding, the less attention remains for the actual objectives,” a French government official told AFP.
Decision‑makers must unite in the fight for life’s survival
Attention at the Yerevan summit is expected to turn to how the private sector can fill the financing gap.
Scrutiny will focus on the underwhelming performance of the Cali Fund, a UN initiative launched in February 2025 intended to generate $1 billion (≈ €894 million) yearly from corporations for conservation in developing countries; to date it has attracted merely $6,000 (≈ €5,363).
“Everyone hoped this would be a game‑changer, and we still believe it holds great potential,” says Schomaker, although corporate engagement has been slower than anticipated.
Reforming environmentally harmful subsidies also proves challenging, with little movement toward the 2030 goal of cutting such incentives by $500 billion (≈ €447 billion) per year.
UN figures indicate that for every dollar invested in protecting or restoring nature, roughly $30 (≈ €27) still flows into activities that degrade ecosystems.
In October, over 130 businesses and financial institutions—including Nestlé and H&M Group—called on governments to overhaul incentive structures, highlighting $2.6 trillion (≈ €2.3 trillion) in annual public spending that rewards practices depleting soils, water, and ecosystems.
Guido Broekhoven of WWF International argues that repurposing subsidies must be a top priority at COP17.
“At a time when geopolitical strains test multilateral cooperation, it is vital to demonstrate that decision‑makers can still unite in the struggle to preserve life on Earth,” Lambrechts concludes.
