COP17 closed with a unanimous diagnosis of collapse, yet shielded against any real obligation to act.

In short: world leaders agreed to sound the fire alarm, as long as no one is obliged to put out the flames.

COP17 closed with a unanimous diagnosis of collapse, yet shielded against any real obligation to act. In short: world leaders agreed to sound the fire alarm, as long as no one is obliged to put out the flames.

Finances: USD 700 billion a year is needed to halt biodiversity loss. What did they announce? A mere 1.8 billion. A drop in the ocean.
The empty Cali Fund: What was supposed to be the grand solution currently holds just over USD 10,000 against a target of one billion. Big pharma remains exempt from paying.
The art of doing nothing: “Consensus by subtraction” was applied. If there were obligations in the draft, they were erased. Everything was reduced to voluntary recommendations, watered-down words, and unfunded promises.
Latin America in the red: We hold 40% of the world’s biodiversity, but the money arriving to protect it (upon which half of our GDP depends) is only 10% of what is needed.
Turning a blind eye to the data: Political tensions managed to weaken even the scientific reports. Instead of taking action based on the biodiversity panel (IPBES), they decided to simply “take note” and look the other way.

The summit’s success consisted of kicking the can down the road to the next meeting in Quito in 2028. Meanwhile, protected areas are left without a budget and the crisis advances. Everything is connected: if the biosphere collapses, the climate does too.