'Choose ambition, not extinction' - Protesters demand action at COP15 in Montreal

Record ID: 1701264

  • Title: 'Choose ambition, not extinction' - Protesters demand action at COP15 in Montreal
  • Date: 7th December 2022
  • Summary: MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA (DECEMBER 7, 2022) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS CHANTING (English): “Choose ambition, not extinction. Brackets out.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF POLICY AT BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL, NOELLE KUMPEL, SAYING: “So we’ve been protesting. We've had a big group of us gathered from different organizations all coming together to emphasize that the negotiations aren’t on track to get us towards a nature positive future by 2030. So that means halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity in eight years.” KUMPEL PROTESTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF POLICY AT BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL, NOELLE KUMPEL, SAYING: “We really need to be injecting some urgency and some ambition into the proceedings. We’ve got less than two week left. We’ve spent four years negotiating this draft 'global biodiversity framework' and it’s not on track right now, so we are protesting.“ VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS CHANTING (English): “Choose ambition, not extinction. Brackets out.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF WWF INTERNATIONAL, GAVIN EDWARDS, SAYING: “The biggest concern is that there’s an awful lot to cover in the next two weeks. We have a negotiating text with an awful lot of brackets in it, which means text that is not agreed yet, so there’s going to be some really late nights here to be able to get the agreement we want. It’s going to require some stamina from negotiators but we're talking about the future of life on Earth here, the future action on climate change. So we hope governments come in with pragmatism to make that agreement, with ambition to make sure it’s a strong agreement and that we get an agreement by December 19.” PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER READING (English): “Action now for a nature positive world.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF WWF INTERNATIONAL, GAVIN EDWARDS, SAYING: “We've heard from Prime Minister Trudeau yesterday, he is already getting a head start on the idea of protecting 30 per cent of Canada’s water and land by 2030, many other governments as well. But this deal here, this agreement here would lock that in for all governments and it would encourage this virtuous cycle that all governments are committing to nature conservation on.” KUMPEL AND PROTESTERS
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2022 22:30
  • Keywords: COP15 Canada Climate biodiversity environmental policy nature positive protest
  • Location: MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
  • City: MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
  • Country: Canada
  • Topics: Climate Change,Environment,General News,North America,Government / Politics,Climate Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001522207122022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Climate campaigners waved placards and chanted pro-nature slogans on Wednesday (December 7) as a U.N. summit kicks off in Montreal, bringing together global negotiators for a "once-in-a-decade opportunity" to protect nature.
    Negotiators hope the two-week event delivers an agreement that ensures there is more "nature" — animals, plants, and healthy ecosystems — in 2030 than what exists now.
    But disagreements over targets and the sheer amount of material to go through over the next two weeks at COP15 remain concerns, said Gavin Edwards, director of World Wildlife Fund International.
    "There are going to be some really late nights here to be able to get the agreement we want," Edwards said on the sidelines of the event, as campaigners chanted slogans.
    "But we're talking about the future of life on Earth here."
    An agreement could lead to protections of almost a third of the world's land and oceans by 2030, more sustainable agricultural systems, forestry and fisheries, he said.
    Earlier in the day Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced up to C$800 million ($586 million) over seven years on up to four indigenous-led conservation efforts, helping the country preserve 30% of its land by 2030.
    More than 1 million species, especially insects, are now threatened with extinction, vanishing at a rate not seen in 10 million years.
    As much as 40% of Earth's land surfaces are considered degraded, according to a 2022 U.N. Global Land Outlook assessment.
    (Production: Gerardo Gomez, Geraldine Downer)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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