UN nature goals fall short, world leaders urged to 'course correct' 

PARIS, Oct 12: Nations are steeling for a disappointing report card at this month's UN biodiversity summit, with governments falling short on their commitments to protect the plants, animals and ecosystems that sustain life on Earth.

The so-called COP17 summit in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, will be a reckoning for the nearly 200 nations that joined the landmark "Paris Agreement for Nature" in 2022 but have been slow to act on its objectives.

It set 23 targets for halting and reversing nature loss by 2030, including reducing pollution, protecting threatened species and conserving 30 percent of the world's land and oceans.

But the world is off-track to meet these goals, according to a draft review by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which oversees the biennial international negotiations on protecting the natural world.

"COP17 comes at a critical moment," An Lambrechts from Greenpeace International told AFP.

"The most important outcome from Yerevan must therefore be a clear course correction. Governments need to move beyond restating promises and agree on concrete actions."�" AFP