COP 15 is underway, what role for philanthropy?
The good news is that leaders and representatives from around the world are meeting in Montreal under China’s leadership to evolve the conversation, decisions, and commitments to reduce the impact of human activities on Earth’s ecosystem biodiversity.
This is positive news, given the importance of biodiversity for the survival of humanity. Biodiversity is a pivotal political issue, requiring the mobilization of all human populations. This might be good news, but we also have alarming news. We are not moving in the right direction fast enough. Despite the initiatives, actions, measures and policies that have been implemented since the first meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992, much remains to be done.
Let us review the Convention’s three main objectives. The first goal is to preserve biodiversity on planet Earth. Secondly, the Convention urges us to use the planet’s resources sustainably. Thirdly, it envisions a fair and equitable sharing of “natural resources” among human societies.
Given the issue at the heart of this Convention, we can ask ourselves whether the efforts already made are sufficient to halt biodiversity decline. Bluntly speaking, more money is currently being spent in Canada on fossil fuels than on preserving our natural ecosystems.
Enjoy your reading!
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- COP 15: Are we willing to take action with clarity, agility and speed?, by Jean-Marc Fontan, PhiLab Co-Director
- Infographic – COP 15: Let’s imagine a society that is more respectful of biodiversity, by Morgane Pellerin, Quebec Hub
- Entrevue Vigilance OGM : OGM, pesticides et biodiversité : une lutte peu prise en compte par la philanthropie subventionnaire canadienne, by Katherine Mac Donald, PhiLab Co-coordinator
- Entrevue Vidéo: Regard philanthropique sur la COP 15, with Jérôme Dupras, by Jean-Marc Fontan, PhiLab Co-Director
- A Letter to Our Friends and Partners on the Decision to Wind Up the Ivey Foundation and Distribute its Full Endowment by 2027 by IVEY foundation
PhiLab Podcast
SE2 E4 – Philanthropy in a Transition to a Future Good for People,Planet and Space
“The main focus of our discussion was on the role, present and future, of foundations in bringing about a just and sustainable transition. We discussed many issues related to this cause, such as the definition of foundations’ missions, the relationships between different philanthropic issues and causes, and the urgency of the current ecological situation.”