EarthOne Reveals the Planet’s New Hot Topics
Hey, eco‑warriors and planet‑punishers! AsiaOne has just dropped EarthOne, a fresh section dedicated to everything green. Think of it as a binge‑worthy playlist of articles that love our planet and trust in science.
UN Stakes Out a Scorecard for the Earth’s Future
On Monday, July 12, UN negotiators pushed out 21 bold proposals aimed at defending nature. The headline promise? Lock down a third of the planet for conservation in the next decade. But because it’s a draft, many environmentalists shrugged, saying it falls a bit short.
- Meet targets that cut pesticide usage.
- Cut plastic waste faster than a comic‑book villain’s demise.
- Channel $200 billion (S$270 billion) each year into protecting nature in developing countries.
These will face a vote by all 196 nations in the UN Convention on Biodiversity in October.
Conservation Numbers that Don’t Quite Match Reality
Right now, about 17 % of land and 7 % of seas are protected. That’s a far cry from the 30 % pledge for both land and sea by 2030, especially with roughly a million species on the brink of extinction.
Meanwhile, overfishing, mining, and industrial pollution keep shrinking wild habitats—and climate change is adding a brutal sidekick: extreme weather, ocean acidification, and drought.
“30 by 30” Voices and Investigation
More than 50 countries—including the United States and Britain—have pledged “30 by 30” conservation. Scientists argue those protected areas should be wildlife hotspots, not barren deserts.
However, the draft turns out to be a tangle of too many individual targets. That could pressure nations to cherry‑pick the easiest options and leave the tougher ones in the red.
But They’re Still Hitting Critics With Mixed Messages
Some pledges, like proper conservation management and respect for indigenous rights, are too vague. There’s no concrete tying of global goals to national plans, raising concerns.
Thomas Brooks, an ecologist at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, says:
“It’s absolutely crucial for all of society to see themselves within this framework and identify what contribution they can make to protecting biodiversity.”
And Francis Ogwal, co‑chair of the Convention, warned that trimming the number of targets could underestimate the complexity of biodiversity.
Beyond Conservation: Reducing Harmful Subsidies
The proposals also call for slashing harmful government subsidies—like those for agriculture and fisheries—by $500 billion per year.
Future Actions Are in the Works
The draft will be debated and signed at the next global biodiversity conference in October in Kunming, China. This race will finish just a month before the UN’s next climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Stay tuned for EarthOne’s breakdowns, because making the planet a better place is no small feat—yet.