December 11, 2022

What’s on the agenda today at COP15?

As negotiations at COP15 reach the midway point, Earth Negotiations Bulletin will break down what progress has been made so far and share predictions for week two outcomes based on the trajectory of talks. The event begins at 9:00 a.m. ET and is open to the public. Check it out virtually.

The Government of Canada is presenting a film screening of In the Land of Dreamers. The film follows a Dene storyteller and logger turned conservationist on a horseback journey of cultural significance through Muskwa-Kechika, British Columbia, one of the largest undeveloped and stunning landscapes in Canada.

The third and final day of the Indigenous Village at COP15 will feature several exciting panel discussions and cultural presentations, including traditional dance and cooking demonstrations.

You can check out the full schedule here.


Where will Ecojustice be today?

A special screening of Into the Weeds by award-winning enviro-filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal will take place at COP15 today. The documentary, which was featured this fall on CBC’s Passionate Eye follows former groundskeeper Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in his fight for justice against agrochemical giant Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) for health impacts caused by its harmful pesticide glyphosate.

Glyphosate is a herbicide that is most commonly used as a weed killer. First introduced by Monsanto as the active ingredient in their herbicide, Roundup, the product is used by many, including farmers on crops and home gardeners in their backyards. Ecojustice is fighting to end the use of this harmful pesticide which is still currently approved for use in Canada, despite its known risks to human health.

What’s the media buzzing about?

  • Indigenous Protected Conservation Areas (IPCAs) are a key topic at COP15. But what exactly are they? The Vancouver Sun’s Tiffany Crawford digs into the role of IPCAs in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws and governance, with insights from Ecojustice’s Victoria Watson and Melanie Snow.
  • Indigenous-led conservation and its role its role in Canada’s efforts to meet its target of protecting 30 per cent of land and marine ecosystems by 2030 continues to be a focal point of dialogue at COP15.
  • Mayors from 14 cities around the world, including Montreal, are calling for more support from national governments and the private sector to protect natural spaces in urban areas.

In case you missed it

Hundreds of people braved Montreal’s sub-zero temperatures yesterday, taking to the streets to demand a strong new deal to protect nature worldwide. Check out some photos by Ecojustice legislative affairs specialist, Sarah Korpan who joined the solidarity amongst the crowd:

Demonstrators at COP15 demand a strong new deal to protect nature worldwide. Demonstrators at COP15 hold a banner opposing Enbridge's Line 5. An adorable dog joins demonstrations at COP15.

December 10, 2022

What’s on the agenda today at COP15?

Following yesterday’s announcement of the first national First Nations Guardians Network, an event hosted at the COP15 Indigenous Village will explore the movement of Guardianship and Indigenous rights in the preservation and restoration of biodiversity around the globe. There will also be a celebration of yesterday’s historic announcement taking place at the Village this evening.

Pollinators, like birds, butterflies, and bees, play a critical role in sustaining the ecosystems we depend on for our survival. A COP15 side event today will focus on how we can strengthen policies, knowledge exchange, and engagement to protect these critical creatures.

The Government of Canada will host an official reception to welcome all participants from around the globe who are gathered in Montreal for COP15.

You can check out the full schedule here.

Where will Ecojustice be today?

The March for Biodiversity and Human Rights will take to the streets to defend all forms of life on Earth. The gathering will send a strong message to governments and decision makers that we need urgent and ambitious action to protect and restore nature.

To halt nature decline, we need to shift to a more harmonious relationship with nature and include a diversity of voices in local, statewide, and global approaches to biodiversity protection. If you’re in Montreal, come join the event beginning at 1 p.m. at the monument in front of parc Jeanne-Mance.

What’s the media buzzing about?

  • Calls to put Indigenous rights and decision-making at the heart of biodiversity protection are growing louder as representatives from 196 countries gather for COP15 in Montreal. Al Jazeera’s Jillian Kestler-D’Amours highlights the importance of Indigenous stewardship of land and waters, including an interview with Ecojustice law reform specialist Victoria Watson.
  • A few hundred participants gathered for a protest in Square Saint-Louis in Montreal to decry what demonstrators are calling a lack of political will to enact climate action. Protestors say its time for businesses and governments to put nature and people above profits.
  • The federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault says progress on international dialogues at COP15 are slower moving than he’d like. The minister is pressing his colleagues around the world to step up the pace to strike a plan to halt and reverse nature loss in the coming decade.

In case you missed it

Yesterday, the world’s first national First Nations Guardians Network was announced at COP15 by the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, Valérie Courtois, director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, and Heiltsuk Hereditary Chief Frank Brown from Bella Bella. The network, created in response to ongoing demands from Indigenous guardians, will streamline funding and capacity-building for Indigenous guardians on the ground.

Ecojustice law reform specialist Victoria Watson shared a reaction to this historic annoucement:

 

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December 9, 2022

What’s on the agenda today at COP15? 

The Indigenous Village at COP15, presented by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, opens today. The village will showcase the work of Indigenous Peoples from so-called Canada, and around the world. It will also serve as an Indigenized gathering space for Indigenous participants at COP15. 

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is hosting an event focusing on the role and action of Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender and Gender-Diverse (WG2STGD) people toward achieving targets 21 and 22 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. 

The global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss around the globe. Unless we change the way we produce food, biodiversity loss will continue to accelerate, destroying ecosystems and habitats and threatening our ability to sustain human populations. A panel discussion will dive into how we can create a more just and sustainable food system. 

You can check out the full schedule here.

Where will Ecojustice be today? 

Ecojustice will be attending Healthy Lands and People: Co-management of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in the Northwest Territories today at the Canadian Pavillion. This sharing circle will be led by representatives from two newly established protected areas in the Northwest Territories, the first created under the recently enacted Northwest Territories (NWT) Protected Areas Act. These areas offer an innovative example of co-governance between Indigenous and public governments to protect and restore nature. 

What’s the media buzzing about? 

  • To ensure Canada hits its biodiversity targets, we need laws that hold governments to account for meeting them and that respect Indigenous rights and sovereignty. Holly Lake dives what Canada needs to do to ensure accountability for the commitments made at COP15. 
  • Greenpeace activists hoisted a large banner of artwork at the centre of Montreal’s Place Ville-Marie to denounce the decline of biodiversity around the world. 
  • As Canada shifts away from a parks-style protection model, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said some resource extraction could still be allowed in conserved areas. Indigenous and environmental groups are raising concerns that this will undermine efforts to meaningfully protect ecosystems. 
  • Through their diverse cultures and knowledge, many Indigenous Nations around the globe have maintained healthy ecosystems and economies in harmony since time immemorial.  Globally, it is estimated that 80 per cent of the world’s remaining biodiversity exists in lands inhabited by Indigenous People. But negotiations on how the world will tackle the biodiversity crisis in the coming decade are woefully behind in addressing the concerns of Indigenous communities. 

In case you missed it 

  • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said nearly two-thirds of the countries at COP15 have already agreed to the ambitious target of protecting 30 per cent of the world’s land and water by the end of the decade. Negotiations with some of the five biggest countries in the world are posing a diplomatic and political challenge, including Russia and China. 
  • The Montreal Call is an invitation for governments and communities around the world to continue the dialogue on solutions to root causes of biodiversity decline. Check out the hashtag #MTLCall on social media to learn more.

December 8, 2022

What’s on the agenda today at COP15?

Ecological connectivity has been described as the unimpeded movement of species and flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth. Today at COP15, a panel will discuss the critical role of ecological connectivity to effectively protect and restore nature for generations to come.

Our global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. Agriculture alone is a threat to 86 per cent of the species at risk of extinction. To address the biodiversity crisis, we need to profoundly transform our dysfunctional food systems.

At an event hosted by the Muskrat Collective, Indigenous and racialized youth will share the challenges their communities face on the frontlines of the biodiversity crisis in Canada and how they connect to COP15. They will also share the importance of supporting diverse community-led resilience and solutions.

You can check out the full schedule here.

Where will Ecojustice be today?

Here are some of the events Ecojustice will be on the ground for today at COP15:


What’s the media buzzing about?

  • Developed countries are being called upon to step up with the funding needed to halt and reverse nature loss globally. “We need developed countries to provide meaningful financial support for the countries of the global south as custodians of the world’s natural wealth following centuries of exploitation and loss,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
  • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $800 million in funding to support four major Indigenous-led conservation projects across the country covering nearly one million square kilometres. This significant support for IPCAs gives us hope, however, we need accountability measures to ensure the success of this critical funding for Indigenous communities and biodiversity protection.
  • New documents obtained by The Narwhal through an action to information request reveal B.C. and the feds are close to a new agreement to protect nature. Ecojustice law reform specialist Victoria Watson spoke with journalist Sarah Cox about what the agreement must include to ensure effective protection for nature with respect for Indigenous rights and sovereignty.

In case you missed it…

The Canadian government announced new funding to tackle the biodiversity crisis including:

  • $800 million to support Indigenous-led conservation;
  • $350 million for international solidarity.

December 7, 2022

What’s on the agenda today at COP15?

First Nations conservation leaders from across Canada will share their experiences and vision for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Indigenous-led conservation in an event co-hosted by The Assembly of First Nations and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). Join the livestream at 9 a.m. ET.

UN secretary-general, António Guterres, will speak with media about the post-2020 framework process and the ambitious global change needed to protect and restore nature. Watch live at 11:00 a.m. ET.

As the world faces a decade of critical action to protect nature, the time is ripe for radical transformative change in the NGO sector. The ICCA Consortium is hosting a side event that will explore some of the thematic challenges facing conservation NGOs and showcase the innovative shifts in the sector that are beginning to confront the status quo. Learn more here.

You can check out the full schedule here.

Where will Ecojustice be today?

British Columbia has more biodiversity than any other province or territory in Canada yet is also home to the most species at risk. Ecojustice law reform specialist Victoria Watson joins a panel, hosted by Wilderness Committee and Awi’nakola – Tree of Life, that explores how the current framework for biodiversity protection in B.C. is failing and how to improve it. The event will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST.

Victoria will share insights on how a new law in B.C. can centre and move aside for Indigenous leadership. She will discuss how a state law could be re-imagined in a way that does not further restrict Indigenous sovereignty and governance over their territories, but rather enhances it while safeguarding biodiversity.

What’s the media buzzing about?