The nations of the world secured a historic deal on behalf of nature on the final day of the United Nations COP15 summit, charting a path to halt and reverse the rapid loss of biodiversity by 2030.
Meeting with Elizabeth Mrema, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, the Faiths at COP15 coalition pledged to mobilize their communities to implement whatever biodiversity agreement is achieved.
An event Dec. 8, titled Faith Voices Raising Ambition for a Strong Global Biodiversity Framework, marked the first time that faith-based organizations held an official side event at a U.N. biodiversity conference. Faith groups hope to raise their moral voices and contribute to implementation strategies at COP15 in Montreal.
<p>Nations are gathering in Canada this week to complete a global, once-in-a-decade conservation pact to protect ecosystems amid increasing threats to biodiversity and warnings that upwards of 1 million species could face extinction by century's end.<o:p></o:p></p>