Global Summits Focus on Environmental Challenges

• The United Nations hosts four major sessions to address key environmental threats:
• The Conference of the Parties (COP) in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1, focuses on biodiversity protection.
• COP16 is a stocktake of progress since the last summit secured historic assurances for biodiversity.
• Azerbaijan hosts the world’s most important conference on climate change, COP29, from November 11 to 22.
• The summit is expected to land a new agreement on climate finance, with no agreed figure yet.
• The COP16 on desertification in Saudi Arabia will address the loss of fertile land to desert.
• The final session on plastics, held in South Korea, aims to marshal an international response to plastic pollution.