The sixteenth Convention of the Events (COP16) to the United Nations Conference on Organic variety was held from 21 October to 01 November 2024 in Cali, Colombia. Nature Canada participated in COP16, each as a member of Canada’s state delegation on the negotiations, and as a member of the group of citizen environmentalists who gathered in parallel occasions, to make sure that nature’s voice is heard above the clamour of highly effective pursuits.
We made necessary progress at COP16, together with:
- Making a everlasting mechanism to allow Indigenous peoples to talk for themselves throughout the treaty
- Integrating UN-level local weather motion and biodiversity efforts
- Rising international scientific cooperation
- Mainstreaming biodiversity throughout essential sectors
- Establishing procedures to determine ecologically and biologically important marine areas, which can be important to defending 30% of oceans by 2030
Canada was one of many few nations that filed an official Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan, a roadmap to assembly its commitments beneath the conference. This plan got here into being as a result of Canadians such as you stood up for nature, and insisted that our authorities clarify how it could preserve the guarantees it made on our behalf.
Now that Canada has an official Nature Technique, we have to implement accountability on the federal authorities, to make sure that it truly implements that plan.
The Nature Accountability Act: Giving Hope a Likelihood
Invoice C 73, the Nature Accountability Act, is supposed to be the mechanism that can maintain the federal authorities accountable for appearing on the Nature Technique. However with out amendments to impose significant penalties for inaction, the Invoice will merely repeat the federal government’s present guarantees, as a substitute of compelling the federal government to maintain its guarantees.
Akaash Maharaj, Nature Canada’s Director of Coverage: a voice for nature at COP16.
A Promise Price Preventing For
Canada has pledged to guard 30 p.c of our lands and waters by 2030, to advance Indigenous-led conservation, and to handle the “triple threats” of local weather change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution. These commitments are important not just for the well being of our ecosystems, but additionally for the very survival of future generations.
With out significant accountability, this pledge will fall by the wayside.
Invoice C 17 is supposed to press objectives into enforceable actions. The Invoice ought to create mechanisms to make sure that our authorities’s progress is measurable, clear, and enforceable. The Invoice should be strengthened to incorporate penalties for failure, in any other case governments are sure to evade the tough selections wanted for fulfillment.
Canadians Have Proven That Our Voices Have Energy
As Canadians, we’ve the facility to press our authorities to guide — not simply with phrases but additionally with actions. Public strain drove the federal authorities to create Canada’s Nature Technique. Public strain can now drive the federal authorities to amend C 73 in order that:
- There are penalties of inaction. Presently, the Invoice does nothing if the federal authorities fails to maintain its guarantees.
- There are enforceable nature objectives that align with the Kunming-Montreal World Biodiversity Framework. Presently, the Invoice calls on the Minister to publish his or her nature objectives, but it surely has no requirement that these objectives meet any explicit commonplace.
All political events have a accountability to rise above partisanship and work collectively to strengthen and move Invoice C 73. Canadians deserve honesty and readability:
- The place do occasion leaders stand on the proposed amendments?
- Who will champion this Invoice and guarantee it’s amended and passes earlier than the following election?
Our message is direct: don’t let political video games put nature in danger.
Take Motion for Nature Now!
COP16 was a victory for nature, however the struggle is way from over. Contact your representatives at this time to induce them to:
- Publicly assist amendments wanted to strengthen Invoice C 73.
- Decide to passing the amended Invoice C 73 earlier than the following election.
We have now made it straightforward so that you can take step one: click on right here to ship a letter to Canada’s political resolution makers, insisting that they decide to the motion wanted to guard nature by means of Invoice C 73.
Collectively, we are able to make sure that the federal authorities retains its guarantees to Canadians, and that Canada retains our shared guarantees to nature.
