14 publishers · first seen Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:00 UTC · updated Sat, 31 Oct 2026 12:30 UTC
Nearly 200 nations struck hard-fought agreements at a UN biodiversity summit, aiming to halt and reverse the destruction of nature by 2030. Despite the approval of crucial texts in overtime, there was disappointment over missed opportunities to address humanity's destructive toll on nature. The COP17 summit in Armenia sought to revive a landmark commitment after global efforts to meet the 2030 target fell short. The United Nations had warned that progress was insufficient to meet the goals, including protecting 30% of Earth's land and oceans, tackling pollution and invasive species, and boosting money for conservation.
The final plenary stretched through Friday night and well into the next morning, with negotiations turning sour as the hours dragged on. Even as some delegates left to catch flights, others stayed behind to argue technical points. Veteran COP observer Juliette Landry from the IDDRI think tank told AFP there was a lot of push and pull in every direction throughout the summit and in that context, it's hard to get things accepted.
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