CAIRO / SHARM EL SHEIKH, 14 November 2018.— Amid dire reports on the state of the planet’s wildlife, this week’s UN biodiversity summit in Egypt offers a chance to set a path for recovery to avoid an irreversible collapse of the natural world.

Key to that will be the creation of an ambitious new agreement that ensures at least half of the planet’s land and oceans are restored and protected, with sustainable management for the rest. A fast-growing petition signed by 1.7 million people calls on governments to adopt this goal , revealing mounting public attention and concern around this issue.

Alice Jay, Avaaz Campaign Director, said:

“We’re taking a chainsaw to the web of life that sustains all species, including our own. People across the world are sending a wake-up call to governments and businesses at this summit to recognise that business as usual is a threat to humanity. They’re demanding urgent action at the highest level to deliver an ambitious Global New Deal for Nature that restores and protects half the earth.”

Public attention on this Convention on Biodiversity summit in Egypt is swelling, and there’s an expectation for leaders and negotiators to design an ambitious pathway to achieve a diplomatic success in China in 2020.

Reminiscent of the Paris climate agreement, people are demanding a deal that sends a signal into treasuries and boardrooms that inaction is more risky than action. Overfishing, pesticide-based industrialised agriculture, and rampant deforestation threaten to erode the world’s capacity to provide food, water, and security to billions of people. A Global New Deal for Nature would provide a path to ensure the planet, our people, and our economies thrive in a new eco-civilisation.

Top scientists agree that if we restore and conserve half the earth, and sustainably manage the other half, nature can regenerate. This will ensure humans and 80% of species survive. This solution is viable, and public support is there. All that remains is the political will to agree in Egypt to drive forward a new Global New Deal for Nature in 2020, with a post-2020 framework that is enforceable and accountable, and an inspiring 2050 vision embedded in science with a human understanding of what’s at stake.

Avaaz is bringing the voices of people from every country on Earth to the COP14 to demand:

* Ambition to agree a new Global New Deal for Nature in 2020.

* A strong 2050 Vision for Biodiversity with a north star to restore and protect half the earth, and sustainably manage the whole planet.

* Creation of a High-Level Panel, like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) High-Level Panel (HLP) to ensure the highest political attention is brought to this crisis.

* Support for the CBD Secretariat in its appeal for a Heads of State Summit for Nature at the 75th UNGA in 2020.

* Innovative finance solutions to ensure the most bio-rich regions can address the collapse of biodiversity.

For more information, write to us at media@avaaz.org or follow us on Twitter: @Avaaz_News

Read our press briefing: Why it is urgent to have a Global Deal For Nature


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