YEREVAN, Armenia / AfricaWire.IO / – Over one million species are at risk of extinction due to ongoing human destruction of nature, warned United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday. During the Leaders’ Summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 16, he emphasized the necessity for immediate and impactful global measures to combat environmental decline. This summit set the stage for the upcoming 17th UN Biodiversity Conference, COP17, hosted by Armenia from October 19 to 30. Guterres expressed concern that such destruction jeopardizes the future existence of life on Earth.
He urged governments to increase funding for solutions that protect ecosystems, while also calling for more active involvement from businesses and local communities. Guterres identified climate change, overgrazing, and the excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides as primary contributors to the triple planetary crisis. He warned that pollution, loss of biodiversity, and climate change are collectively pushing the planet toward becoming uninhabitable, but he stressed that this trajectory is not predetermined.
Four years after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Guterres highlighted that progress remains inconsistent and too slow. The 2022 accord aimed to conserve 30% of the planet’s land and sea by 2030. Since then, nearly 90% of signatory parties have committed to national biodiversity targets, with more than half developing national road maps. The Secretary-General described the Yerevan meeting as a pivotal moment for accountability at this halfway point.
$30 spent on harm for every $1 on nature
A stark imbalance exists in global spending on nature, Guterres pointed out. For each dollar invested in conservation, $30 are spent on activities that harm the environment. In 2023 alone, $7.3 trillion flowed into industries with negative impacts on nature, such as heavy manufacturing, destructive agriculture, and fossil fuels. He called for the permanent removal of such subsidies. Additionally, Guterres highlighted the Cali Fund, which encourages companies benefiting from nature to contribute financially.
He stressed that achieving biodiversity, climate, and land restoration targets will require an annual investment of $571 billion into nature-based solutions by 2030, representing roughly 0.5% of global gross domestic product. However, biodiversity financing remains below half of the $200 billion yearly target set under the framework. Guterres noted that heavy debt burdens, limited budgets, and an inequitable international financial system restrict developing countries’ ability to invest in nature.
Current commitments only safeguard 26% of land
Existing pledges fall short of the 30% conservation goal. If nations meet their current commitments, only 26% of terrestrial ecosystems and 12% of marine ecosystems will be protected by 2030. Since 2022, formal protections have expanded to include an additional 1.3 million square kilometers of land and 6 million square kilometers of ocean. Guterres urged countries to shift from policies that harm nature to those that support its preservation.
He called for greater engagement from young people, civil society, women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, emphasizing that environmental decline often disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations. The Secretary-General welcomed the Yerevan Declaration’s commitment to integrating biodiversity into policies, budgets, and regulations. He emphasized that biodiversity is interconnected with conflict, food insecurity, disease, and climate change. COP17 negotiations are set to commence in Yerevan on October 19.