COP16 in Colombia

After two weeks on the ground lobbying for progress, our staff wrapped up work earlier this month at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16). The conference ended with major achievements but also great challenges for implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Held in Cali, Colombia, this was the first biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 in 2022, which provided a blueprint for advancing four goals and 23 targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and for humans to live in harmony with nature by 2050.

Peace with Nature

The theme for this year’s conference was “Peace with Nature.” This year’s focus emphasized the need for harmony between human activities and the natural world. It highlighted the interconnectedness of biodiversity, ecosystems, and human well-being and advocated for a balanced approach to development that respects and preserves nature.

COP16 highlighted Indigenous Peoples’ continued leadership and successes, especially their achievement at this year’s conference in establishing a new permanent body to ensure Indigenous representation and participation under the UN Biodiversity Convention in the future. Despite this progress, the global response to the biodiversity crisis remains frustratingly inadequate, particularly from the countries most responsible for the damage. While some breakthroughs were made, negotiations were suspended after a marathon of discussions between Parties. COP16 ended without an agreement on key issues, including establishing a fund to protect biodiversity, which had been met with resistance from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Stand.earth at COP16

Stand.earth’s campaigners attended COP16 to represent our forest biomass and Amazonia campaigns. We commend the achievements made at the conference, particularly in recognizing the essential role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in biodiversity conservation and advancing the alignment of biodiversity and climate discussions at the UN. But we also caution that additional urgent action is needed, especially to address funding gaps, transition away from fossil fuels, and fight illegal economies that drive biodiversity loss and deforestation in the Amazon.

Here’s a look at what COP16 accomplished, what still needs work, and how we’re continuing the fight for the future of the forests and the Amazon.

Amazonia: Approaching a tipping point

Agriculture, mining, and fossil fuel-driven exploitation and extraction are driving the Amazon rainforest—one of the world’s most biodiverse regions—to extinction. Countries like Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil are expanding new oil and gas concessions, while Colombia signed a Declaration of Expanding Operations of Critical Minerals in the Amazon. As the appetite for extraction grows, Amazonia is approaching a dangerous irreversible tipping point that would impact not only those who call the Amazon home but the entire world.

For decades, oil spills have polluted the Amazon and poisoned the food and water of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and oil and gas companies and governments have done little to mitigate damages. As more roads cut deeper into the forest, frontline communities risk losing their homes and livelihoods.

The Amazonia campaign at Stand.earth has closely accompanied Indigenous Peoples on the ground to support their advocacy efforts during COP16. We’ve been working with partners all across Amazonia to identify key issues and obstacles and strategize to prioritize Amazonia’s protection in the climate movement. In Cali, Stand’s team presented our research to numerous Indigenous leaders, journalists, and bank representatives. We also forged new alliances that will allow us to increase pressure on banks to end financing for oil extraction in the Amazon as we build power toward a significant campaign moment approaching next year at COP30 in Brazil.

Advancements for Amazonia at COP16

At COP16, the Amazonia team witnessed historic advancements, including the creation of the Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8j. This body will ensure the participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in UN biodiversity decision-making processes, a significant step toward recognizing their roles in biodiversity conservation. In another long-overdue recognition, Afro-descendant communities were also recognized as key biodiversity stewards.

However, critical gaps remain. Progress is undermined by excluding Indigenous Territories from the 30×30 conservation target, insufficient funding from wealthier nations, and a lack of accountability for illegal activities fueling deforestation. Additionally, fossil fuel impacts were notably sidelined in negotiations.

While we welcome Colombia’s bold integration of climate and biodiversity policies and Brazil’s leadership in creating the Subsidiary Body, the urgent need for more substantial global commitments remains. We look to the upcoming UN Climate Change Conferences – COP29 in Azerbaijan in November 2024 and COP30 in Brazil in November 2025 – to deliver transformative change by centring Indigenous voices while addressing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Looking ahead to COP30 for Amazonia

COP16 represented a groundbreaking step towards integrating the biodiversity and climate agenda. For the first time, there is a proposal to more closely align these agendas, recognizing that addressing biodiversity and climate change enables more effective sustainable solutions. We are hopeful this work will continue to progress at COP29 this month, and that next year’s COP30 in Brazil will mark a turning point for protecting the Amazon and Indigenous Peoples.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we know that continuing to uplift the interconnectedness of biodiversity, climate, and Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty will be fundamental in our fight against climate change. Working with key decision makers across the globe and land defenders from the Amazon, our campaign will continue to push for Pan-Amazonic policies that protect the region and stop the flow of money supporting Amazonian oil and gas extraction and expansion.

Forest Biomass: Driving destruction of forests and ecosystems

As delegates gathered in Cali to present their countries’ climate pledges and introduce plans to phase out government subsidies that harm biodiversity, it was alarming to see how many included burning forest biomass for energy as a climate solution. The dangers to the climate, communities, and ecosystems posed by the large-scale biomass industry are clear and proven. Subsidies for biomass have no place in serious conversations about conservation and green energy.

Forest biomass, which involves burning wood in the form of pellets or chips to generate energy, emits as much or more carbon dioxide than coal per unit of energy. But due to outdated international carbon accounting loopholes, it is considered carbon neutral. As more countries join the frantic race to transition away from coal, many are turning to biomass burning in a shortsighted attempt to meet their energy needs. Wood pellets made from natural forests in Canada, the United States, and other countries are being shipped to countries like the United Kingdom and Japan, where they are burned.

Forests around the world are facing the growing threat of biomass sourcing, which can entrench, intensify, and expand industrial logging. Converting biodiverse, natural forests to industrial tree plantations is especially harmful when we recognize that rights-based protection of standing forests is essential to mitigate both the climate and biodiversity crises. Relying heavily on government subsidies intended for real clean energy, big biomass is a highly-polluting industry that is at odds with efforts to preserve ecosystems and uphold human rights.

Progress for biomass? Or more dangerous distractions at COP16?

Stand.earth’s Senior Forests Campaigner, Tegan Hansen, speaking on a panel at COP16 on behalf of the Biomass Action Network

While we had hoped that the dangers of burning forests for energy would be given serious attention when countries discussed their plans to phase out subsidies that harm biodiversity, the discussion didn’t play out that way. Language that would help compel countries to exclude biomass from future subsidies as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework was introduced during negotiations, but was ultimately stricken from draft text. With negotiations at COP16 suspended and no final agreement reached, the opportunity to influence international negotiations has now shifted to COP29, underway right now in Azerbaijan, where Stand campaigners are joining a broad global coalition on the ground to sound the alarm louder than ever before.

What’s next for biomass

As climate leaders, activists, and policymakers at COP29 engage in critical discussions that will pave the way for COP30, one key issue remains high on the agenda: the future of biomass energy. For years, biomass — particularly forest biomass — has been a contentious and divisive topic. Last year at COP28, however, a shift began to take place. Members of the Biomass Action Network made significant strides in strengthening opposition to biomass within key energy campaigns, and momentum is now building to ensure this shift turns into transformative action in the years ahead.

At COP29, our call to action is clearer than ever: countries like Canada must step up and take decisive, meaningful action on both the global stage and at home to protect the ecosystems that sustain us all. As countries unveil their national commitments at COP29, they must change course and adopt clear and explicit plans to transition away from bioenergy. Instead of propping up harmful distractions like biomass with more funding meant for green energy, countries must focus on tangible solutions such as safeguarding primary forests, upholding Indigenous rights, and ending damaging subsidies — both in international negotiations and within their own policies.