Numerous events and policy decisions across the world in the last several months are causing despair among many environmentalists. The abrupt freeze, and potential termination, of international funds for conservation have hit global conservation and environmental projects, resulting in the halt of activities that have so far aided forest and wildlife conservation and supported Indigenous peoples’ initiatives. In 2023, one of the sources of those funds, USAID, provided $375.4 million to nature conservation projects across the world. While the lack of funds has questioned the existence of certain conservation projects, the global climate target to slash global emissions under the Paris Agreement also saw slow progress. Of the 195 countries that signed up to the Paris Agreement, 182 failed to submit upgraded targets — or “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) — to cut down on their share of emissions. The U.S. and Indonesian governments also backed away from climate goals, worrying environmentalists who say this could encourage oil extractive projects abroad as, one by one, major companies already pull out of their low carbon commitments. While the U.N. biodiversity conference (COP16) in Rome in February saw some success, participants say governments continue funding activities that degrade ecosystems with no reduced cut on nature-destroying subsidies. A recent WWF report showed a 73% decline in wildlife populations in the last 50 years. Conservationists worry that high debts by countries from Ecuador to Nigeria will push governments to continue pursuing their unsustainable economic development efforts at the expense of environmental safeguards. However, despite the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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