PREVIEW: Standoff looms on resuming plastic treaty talks as ministers enter the fray
A record number of ministers will descend on Geneva next week as high-stakes talks resume on a first UN treaty aimed at tackling plastic pollution, amid mounting pressure on self-proclaimed ambitious countries to force the issue by sidestepping the veto of petrochemical-producing nations.
Read MoreBRIEFING: Delegates at deep-sea mining talks still divided over whether to move forward with global code
Countries at the latest UN deep-sea mining talks struggled to find common ground on a draft text for a global code as the deadline approaches, amid growing calls for a moratorium.
Read MoreChina, Indonesia sign bilateral agreement for blue carbon research
Indonesia and China signed an agreement last week, in which scientists from both nations will partner on blue carbon research, formalising their recent bilateral collaboration on blue carbon ecosystems.
Read MoreArmenia announces dates for 2026 UN biodiversity talks
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Monday that the COP17 biodiversity summit will be held in the country’s capital Yerevan in the second half of October next year.
Read MoreSmall island ministry says plastic credits will shift burden to developing countries
Focusing too much on plastic credits may be appealing to the Global North, but would place excessive burdens on the Global South in tackling plastic pollution, according to a government official from one of the Small Island Developing States (SIDSs).
Read MoreEU keeps pushing for legally-binding plastic treaty at UN talks
The European Union will keep pushing for a legally-binding agreement to end plastic pollution at upcoming UN negotiations in Geneva next month, according to Denmark, which will represent the 27 EU countries at the talks.
Read MoreAustralian researchers develop industry-commissioned framework to assess deep-sea mining impacts
Australia’s national science agency has developed a framework to support the assessment and mitigation of impacts associated with deep-sea mining, ahead of the resuming UN negotiations on global rules for the industry.
Read MoreAustralian organisations call for putting ‘nature positive’ at centre of COP31 agenda
A group of Australian financial institutions, businesses, and environmental organisations has urged the government to put nature-based solutions at the centre of the COP31 agenda, as the country is seen as a front-runner to host the UN climate summit next year.
Read MoreInvestors managing $4 trillion ask companies to phase out hazardous chemicals
Some 43 investors managing over $4 trillion in assets sent a statement on Thursday to chemical companies, urging them to phase out hazardous chemicals to protect biodiversity.
Read MoreWWF calls for step-by-step financing to unlock landscape investment
A multi-phase approach for impact investors is crucial for scaling financing of landscapes as a way of increasing support for nature, WWF said in a recent report.
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