CALI, Colombia (AP) 鈥� United Nation's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Tuesday to make new pledges to help save global biodiversity and called for the private sector to come on board.
鈥淣ature is life, and yet we are waging a war against it, a war where there can be no winner,鈥� Guterres said in his opening remarks at the U.N. biodiversity summit, known as COP16, in Cali, Colombia.
鈥淓very day, we lose more species. Every minute, we dump a garbage truck of plastic waste into our oceans, rivers and lakes,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is what an existential crisis looks like.鈥�
The two-week summit is a follow-up to the historic 2022 accord in Montreal, which to save Earth鈥檚 plant and animal life.
Guterres' comments came a day after talks gridlocked over how to fund conservation. On Monday, eight governments pledged an additional $163 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, which environmental advocates say is far off the billions needed to save global biodiversity.
So far a total of $400 million is in the fund that provides targeted support to countries and communities to conserve and restore plant and animal species and ecosystems.
鈥淲e need a lot more committed, from many more nations,鈥� said Kristian Teleki, CEO of the conservation charity Fauna & Flora.
The 2022 agreement signed by 196 countries calls for protecting 30% of land and water by 2030, known as 30 by 30. When the agreement was signed, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas were protected 鈥� and it hasn鈥檛 changed significantly.
A report released Monday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature said are at risk of extinction and that the number of threatened trees is more than double the number of threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined.
Colombia鈥檚 President Gustavo Petro made a 40-minute opening speech where he repeatedly warned a shift away from oil and gas energy is needed to save the world.
鈥淎nother way of producing is needed .. in order to safeguard life on this planet and of humanity,鈥� Petro said.
Guterres said no country, rich or poor, is immune from the devastation inflicted by climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and pollution.
鈥淭hese environmental crises are intertwined. They know no borders ... they are devastating ecosystems and livelihoods, threatening human health and undermining sustainable development,鈥� he said, blaming outdated economic models for driving the problems.
Guterres said finance promises from countries must be turned into action and support to developing countries accelerated.
"We cannot afford to leave Cali without new pledges ... and without commitments to mobilize other sources of public and private finance to deliver the Framework,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we must bring the private sector on board. Those profiting from nature cannot treat it like a free, infinite resource.鈥�
The U.N. leader highlighted the importance of Indigenous people, people of African descent and local communities as the 鈥済uardians of nature鈥�.
鈥淭heir traditional knowledge is a living library of biodiversity conservation," he said. "They must be protected. And they must be part of every biodiversity conversation.鈥�
鈥�-
Follow Steven Grattan on X:
鈥�-
The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Steven Grattan, The Associated Press
