Greater support was urged for developing nations on biodiversity conservation on the opening day of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 15, in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Monday.
The richness of Yunnan's biodiversity is believed to be one of the reasons why COP 15, a major United Nations gathering on environmental issues, is being held in the southwestern province.
According to the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, climate change and increasingly extreme weather events have caused a surge in natural disasters over the past 50 years, disproportionately impacting poorer countries.
There is likely to be a strong sense of deja vu among the delegates assembled this week in Kunming, China, where the United Nations fired the starting gun on negotiations for the 15th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP15.
Guided by the concept of ecological civilization, China has made marked progress in biodiversity conservation and is expected to continue to lead the world in this regard, a United Nations official said.
China will work with the international community to contribute its experiences on environmental protection and call for joint efforts from countries around the world to tackle climate change and other environmental challenges through the promotion of a green development model.
President Xi Jinping will on Tuesday attend via video link the leaders' summit of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) and deliver a keynote speech, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday.
This 45-second video with realistic visual effects made peacocks, elephants, and Yunnan golden monkeys “appear” on the streets of Kunming.
