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UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 16)
UN Biodiversity Conference
October 17, 2024
UN Biodiversity Conference
Following on from the Global Nature Positive Summit in Sydney in early October, a similarly-themed conference takes place in Columbia from 21 October to 1 November for what some might describe as more corporate hand-wringing and ‘eco-timewasting’.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity holds its Conference of the Parties (COP) every two years. Two years ago this conference was held in Montreal and was responsible for the launch of the snappily-named Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This document sets out the framework for how the UN intends to preserve and reverse the destruction of bio-diverse environments between now and 2030.
This year, the whole ‘circus’ moves to South America – specifically to Cali, Columbia – for COP 16 between 21 October and 1 November. Cali is a picturesque place, and the weather will be around 28 °C with little chance of rainfall, which will be a welcome dose of sunshine for delegates (most of them, probably) from the Northern hemisphere.
Will it make a difference to global warming, the poisoning of our oceans, forest fires in Brazil and increasing world temperatures? Only time will tell, but the problem is, time is running out …

COP 16 will be held in Cali, Columbia from 21 October to 1 November 2024
UN Biodiversity Conference 2024 (COP 16)
The COP 16 website states:
‘COP 16 will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the at COP 15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.
At COP 16, governments will be tasked with reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework. COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework. Among other tasks, COP 16 is also due to finalize and operationalise the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.’
No-one outside the UN and the people who wrote that are really sure what that all means, but we get the impression that it’ll be more of a course correction than anything major.
And this is the issue; these events are so steeped in jargon, in process and protocol … that very little gets done and it ends up being a talking shop. Inevitably, everyone attending thinks that they have done a great job, but the rest of the world is not so sure…
Climate Change and Biodiversity
At COP 16, we are promised:
‘… governments will be tasked with reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework.
COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Among other tasks, COP 16 is also due to finalise and operationalise the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.
’What that means in plain English is anyone’s guess, but the conference programme includes an ‘International Afro-descendant Forum’, a ‘Nature & Culture Summit’ as well as a ‘Women (sic) Forum’. What all this has to do with biodiversity needs further explanation, we feel.
Biggest Causes of Biodiversity Loss
Returning to science momentarily, it’s reasonably straightforward why and how biodiversity is being lost:
- Water pollution, especially discharges of polluted industrial wastewater leading to less water security
- Rising temperatures due to global warming
- Floods and droughts brought on by climate change
- Increased urbanisation and poor long-term planning

COP 16 will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Framework.
Water Security and Biodiversity
Of the causes of loss of biodiversity, water pollution is one of the main culprits.
Forget about human waste being pumped into the rivers by rogue British water companies and ignore tales of ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ between Hawaii and California.
These are real issues but pale into insignificance against what has already polluted all our oceans and is getting worse every day. No one person can do anything about it either, as regulations have yet to catch up with the science.
The main issue is pollution of our oceans by chemicals and compounds that are almost impossible to remove.
How to Prevent Loss of Biodiversity
There are several classes of what might be called ‘man-made’ (or synthesised) chemicals that are slowly polluting all our oceans and harming marine as well as human life.
There are several classes of what might be called ‘man-made’ (or synthesised) chemicals that are slowly polluting all our oceans and harming marine as well as human life.
These include:
- Endocrine disruptors: These are found in many everyday products, including cosmetics, food packaging, toys, carpets, and pesticides. Can cause major damage to marine and human life including behavioural and reproductive issues.
- PFAS: These are known as ‘forever chemicals’. Found in cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics, some cosmetics, and products that resist grease, water, and oil. Can lead to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer.
- Antibiotics: Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. This is down to antibiotics in water due to over-prescribing, agricultural run-off and dumping.
One of few effective ways to remove these chemicals and therefore arrest the loss of biodiversity is to use electro-chemical water treatment methods. Although not a new method, in recent years improvements in techniques and materials have led to remarkable results.
Arvia’s Role in Protecting Biodiversity
Whilst we wish the United Nations all the best and hope that their conference is successful, at Arvia we feel that the only reliable way to ensure biodiversity continues to flourish is to press governments to tighten up industrial water discharge limits so that large quantities of synthesised chemicals are no longer contained in wastewater.
The science is there to do it (our results show we can get down to parts per billion on many pollutants) but the regulations have not caught up with the facts. It’s up the UN and other world bodies to bring pressure on governments to do that.
Until then, conference delegates can fiddle away, Nero-like, but Rome will still burn!
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