Jane Goodall warns of 'false promises' at UN biodiversity meeting October 19, 2024

“The time for words and false promises is over,” Jane Goodall told AFP / © AFP.

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Jane Goodall warns of 'false promises' at UN biodiversity meeting

World-respected British primate expert Jane Goodall wants the upcoming UN biodiversity summit to lead to action rather than “words and false promises.”

As authorities from around 200 countries gather in the Colombian city of Cali for COP16, which starts on Monday, the indefatigable zoologist said there is little time left to reverse the decline.

“I hope that not only will some decisions be taken to protect biodiversity... but that this is followed by action because the time for words and false promises is over if we want to save the planet,” Goodall told AFP.

At 90, Goodall is still crisscrossing the world to help defend the chimpanzee, which she first studied in Tanzania over 60 years ago.

A UN Messenger of Peace since 2002, Goodall has been outspoken about the damage done to nature.

But she also highlighted how other issues, especially climate change, worsened the biodiversity crisis.

“The problem is that everything, all the problems we face... are all interrelated.”

Following the suggestion of a recent scientific assessment, Goodall said that the world only has “five years to start slowing down climate change and so on.”

“The good news is that groups of people are working on each problem. Unfortunately, many are working in their narrow ways,” she said.

“You can solve one problem, but if you're not thinking holistically, it can create another problem.”

- Each individual is important

In addition to biodiversity, the COP16 organizers have said that indigenous peoples will actively participate in the negotiations.

Even though Indigenous peoples have too often been disappointed with the final decisions made at biodiversity COPs, this progress and increased presence were welcomed by Goodall.

“Fortunately, we are beginning to hear the voices of indigenous peoples. We are beginning to learn from them some of how they live in harmony with the environment,” she said.

Goodall also called on nations to fight poverty to help protect the environment.

“We also need to alleviate poverty because very poor people destroy the environment to survive,” she said.

The scientist, who never travels without her stuffed monkey she calls “Mr. H,” was in Paris to give a talk at UNESCO on Saturday.

Preaching the importance of keeping alive the hope that humanity can save the world, Goodall came up with the message: “Realize that every day you make a difference.”

“Every individual is important. Every individual has a role to play, and every one of us makes some impact on the planet every day, and we can choose the kind of impact we make,” she said.

“It's not just up to the government and big business. It's up to all of us to make changes in our lives.”

- Paul Watson, a brave man

Goodall also called on French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene on behalf of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson.

Subject to an extradition request from Japan, the 73-year-old American-Canadian activist was arrested in July in Greenland.

Since then, Watson has written to Macron asking for asylum in France, his group Sea Shepherd said on Wednesday.

“I sincerely hope that President Macron will grant Paul Watson asylum,” Goodall said.

“He is a brave man. He has fought against a very, very unbelievably cruel industry,” she said, adding that the activist ‘has all my admiration.’

On Thursday, French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said that France's position on the matter was “not clear.”

Japan accuses Watson of damaging a whaling ship in 2010 and injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt whaling activities.

mdb/sbk/js