December 21, 2022

2022 UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Will Attendees Finally Realize that Human Activity and Population Growth Present the Greatest Challenges?

Something new is happening at COP15 this month! Population activist and author Robert Harding will attend the conference with the intention of writing about his experience for NPG’s Forum paper series. In the narrative, Mr. Harding will observe the speakers and presentations, listening closely for talking points related to human activity and population growth. At this time in history, it is known that humans are the most destructive force on the planet. The paper, to be published sometime after the new year, will highlight human population numbers and human action – and how they detrimentally relate to nature and natural resources.

The meeting is from December 7 to December 19 in Montreal, Canada. At the meeting, representatives of governments from around the world will “come together to agree on a new set of goals to guide global action through 2030 to halt and reverse nature loss.” One of three UN COPs, the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, is focused on nature. To that end, they believe that “nature is critical to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.” They also believe in “limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.”

A list of priorities on the UN Environment Programme website, includes:

• Adoption of an equitable and comprehensive framework matched by the resources needed for implementation
• Clear targets to address overexploitation, pollution, fragmentation and unsustainable agricultural practices
• A plan that safeguards the rights of indigenous peoples and recognizes their contributions as stewards of nature
• Finance for biodiversity and alignment of financial flows with nature to drive finances toward sustainable investments and away from environmentally harmful ones

It is NPG’s hope that human activity will also be covered throughout the event. We look forward to publishing Mr. Harding’s observations. In the meantime, to read more about population-related issues, please see our Forum paper series, here.