COP15: Daily highlights – December 12, 2022

Montréal (Quebec) – December 12, 2022

Minister’s thought of the day

“Protecting, conserving and restoring nature and biodiversity mean building healthy, sustainable and nature-positive ecosystems for all life—including for the communities directly connected to natural spaces and especially Indigenous peoples. Today at COP15, we took two big steps toward restoring harmony with the natural world. Along with the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, I announced Canada's commitment to the Bonn Challenge, which commits Canada to restoring 19 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030. That’s an area more than 3 times the size of Nova Scotia! Minister Wilkinson also announced Canada is joining the Critical Minerals Alliance to ensure that mining activity meets the highest environmental, social and governance standards, including respecting the rights and knowledge of Indigenous peoples. Because pursuit of a net-zero economy must not come at the expense of our natural world.”

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quote of the day

“Art can make science communicate. It can make it resonate. It can make it understandable. It can make it relatable, and it can make it personal. That is the key to what we should be doing right now in the time and age. Science has been there alone with the facts for too long… If the research does not reach us, then how can the research teach us?”

Mr. Thijs Biersteker, eco-artist

Photo of the day

Credit: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Access to the host photographer images can be found here: UN Biodiversity’s albums | Flickr.

Daily event summary: December 12, 2022

•  In the morning, Natural Resources Minister Wilkinson made an announcement on Sustainable Critical Minerals Coalition.
  •  Read the news release here.
• During lunchtime, Ministers Wilkinson and Guilbeault jointly pledged Canada to the Bonn Challenge, an international initiative to restore several hundred million of hectares of deforested/degraded land globally by 2030.
  •  Read the news release here.
• In the afternoon, Minister Wilkinson made an announcement on new projects Towards 2 Billion Trees.
  • Read the news release here.
• Later that day, Minister Wilkinson made another announcement on Youth Participation.
  • Read the news release here.

Upcoming event summary: December 13, 2022

Event:  Mid-COP Press Conference
Time:  9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m
Location: Room 220D, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Event:  Armchair Discussion with Dr. Mona Nemer
Time:  10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m
Location: Canada Pavilion, Palais des congrès de Montréal

For more information on the daily schedule, visit the UN CBD website: Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd.int).