France, the World Bank, and UN host One Planet Summit
In collaboration with the World Bank and the UN, France will today hold the One Planet Summit, which seeks to hasten the implementation of international climate agreements.
Bringing together a variety of state and government officials, businessmen and representatives of NGOs and international organisations, the summit will focus on the themes of protecting terrestrial and marine ecosystems, promoting agro-ecology and linking the issues of deforestation with the health of human and animal species
The summit comes at a crucial time, especially as efforts to address climate and biodiversity concerns have been eclipsed by the need to address the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, according to the UN’s biodiversity panel, the world will likely experience more pandemics in the future if the necessary action to preserve biodiversity is not taken promptly.
Despite the environmental emergency that we all are facing today, expect both businesses and governments to abstain from donating adequate resources to climate efforts, as fighting the pandemic-induced economic recession will likely remain their ultimate goal in the short-term. Between the many projects proposed by the summit, expect those simultaneously offering short-term benefits (such as job creation) to receive more attention.
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