Rich countries are considering a $200 billion biodiversity deal

Ana Carolina Amaral
MONTREAL, Canada (Volhabres) — Developed countries are ready to provide US$200 billion (about R$1 trillion) to fund a new global framework for biodiversity, to be negotiated up to COP15. The announcement could take place this weekend, after the new draft agreement is published.

“It’s not the number that just popped out of our heads, as it was with $100 billion [prometidos] In Copenhagen, but it came out of the Paulson Report: It’s $900 billion minus the support that we want to work collectively to redirect,” Canadian Environment Minister Stephen Gilbolt said during an informal meeting of the donor group to which the report gave access.

The meeting, outside the official COP15 agenda, brought together representatives of the advanced bloc on Friday night (16), including the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan. The United States is not a party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and does not participate in the Conference of the Parties.

There are still differences between countries about the timing of the announcement and also about the margin for negotiation that should be calculated.

Some have advocated a less forceful declaration, while others prefer to see the proposal emerge from the COP15 presidency and wait for feedback, hoping that countries will accept a less ambitious financial offer, offering a US$200 billion declaration. .

And one of the representatives sitting at the table mentioned that the rich bloc is a minority: we are 15 here, they are 200, he said. The fear expressed in the speech is that states will continue to show discontent in the face of the rich bloc’s biggest card, which would render the situation irreparable. So some advocated the alternative of waiting until Sunday to bring a solution to the negotiating table.

However, for other countries, waiting can waste time negotiating other terms in the agreement. A negotiator from the bloc confirmed at the meeting that she would like to see this impasse resolved more quickly, leaving room for negotiation of other items.

In the early hours of this past Wednesday (14), all developing countries represented in the financing negotiation room got up and left, led by Brazil, in protest of the lack of commitment by rich countries to fund the Convention on Biological Diversity.

During the meeting, a donor representative stated that Brazil in particular has an extortionate attitude towards the rich bloc. The negotiator also complained that financial commitments could be announced without receiving more ambitious goals in return.

Guilbeault replied “I’ve talked to all countries, and everyone, including Brazil, agrees with the 30X30 goal”. The 30 x 30 target is the most popular point of the new world landmark. It states that the world must ensure that at least a third of biodiversity is preserved by 2030.

At the COP preparatory meetings, Brazil questioned the global target and proposed its implementation at the national level – to oblige each country to conserve 30% of its territory. The strategy would prevent a large part of the bill being left to Brazilian territory, the most biodiverse in the world, which concentrates from 15% to 20% of global biodiversity. However, the state has begun to advocate for a more general text, without citing global or national implementation.

Another specter that haunts donor countries is lack of credibility. In 2009, during the UN’s COP15 climate conference, in Copenhagen, the bloc also sought to resolve the impasse in the climate negotiations with a promise of US$100 billion in financing by 2020, but the amount has not been reached until today.