COP17 biodiversity talks in Yerevan on the home straight, but no agreement yet

Talks hit a deadlock on the home straight

Decisive talks to rescue a historic pact on protecting nature have entered the home straight in Armenia, but countries remain far from agreement, AFP reports. Nearly 200 states have gathered in Yerevan to adjust course after falling behind on the global commitment to halt and reverse the destruction of nature by 2030. Most of the targets of the so-called 'Paris Agreement for nature' are not being met, including the goals of protecting 30% of the world's land and oceans and cutting government spending that harms the planet. After a week of tense negotiations, the parties have made no progress on the biggest sticking points, including how to close the vast funding gap for global nature-protection commitments.

Ministers step in to unblock the talks

On Tuesday, government ministers arrive at the summit to try to unblock the negotiations amid growing pressure — a strong, binding agreement must be reached by the close of the summit on Friday. Canada's Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin told AFPthat there is 'a lot of goodwill' at the summit, but 'there is still a lot of work to be done'. COP17 President Ambarcum Matevosyan, who is also Armenia's environment minister, said he was working on 'converging positions' and noted that negotiators are working late into the night behind closed doors. According to him, there has been early progress: initial decisions have been adopted and commitments worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been made for nature. Anna Ducros of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) noted that the talks have been 'somewhat sluggish', but governments are making headway outside the negotiating rooms.

Money and subsidies are the main stumbling blocks

On Monday, a coalition of countries including France, Colombia and Fiji pledged to carry out a major reform of nature-harming incentives — one of the most difficult items on the agenda. According to AFP, governments spend about $2.4 trillion a year subsidising industries such as fossil fuelsand have made almost no progress in cutting support for these influential sectors. European countries, meanwhile, are waging a difficult campaign to get wealthy developing economies such as China to also contribute to global biodiversity financing. The summit is taking place at a difficult time: public finances are under strain, aid budgets have been cut, and political attention is focused on wars and economic crises. Head of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen urged delegates to remain 'extremely focused' and use the remaining time effectively. Panama's Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro expressed scepticism about the summit's outcome: 'We are definitely not on the right track... people are destroying the Earth, and we are doing far from enough.'

Why it matters

The outcome of the summit will determine whether the global plan to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030 remains achievable: according to AFP, most of its targets are already behind schedule. The agreements will also determine the allocation of biodiversity financing, including the contentious issue of contributions from wealthy developing economies. The practical implication for readers is possible changes to the $2.4 trillion-a-year subsidy reform, which a coalition of countries led by France, Colombia and Fiji has pledged to reform. It remains unknown whether a binding agreement can be reached by Friday: Panama's minister has already expressed scepticism, and key disagreements over financing remain unresolved.