Montr\u00e9al, Canada\u00a0\u2014 As the decade-defining Nature COP begins, Greenpeace Canada activists dropped a massive banner in l\u2019Anneau in Montr\u00e9al\u2019s downtown core, a symbol that represents the strong union between Montrealers and visitors from around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
The banner depicts two potential futures for people and planet. One half of the banner portrays a vibrant, bright, healthy world with humans and wildlife flourishing; the other half is marked by environmental destruction and degradation, where only the skeletons of those same species remain. <\/p>\n\n
Which future we arrive at, the activists stressed, is up to the leaders at this Conference.<\/p>\n\n
Lagi Toribau, interim Executive Director, Greenpeace Canada said: <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re here to send a clear message: world leaders must steer us off this highway to extinction. This Conference is one of our last exits.\u201d <\/p>\n\n There are currently more than 1 million species<\/a> at risk of extinction globally. The systems they \u2014 and we \u2014 rely on to support life and livelihoods are being pushed to the brink, with some regions reaching what scientists call a tipping point<\/a>: the point at which the ecosystem can no longer cope with the pressures, and collapses.<\/p>\n\n An Lambrechts, Global Project Lead, Greenpeace International<\/strong> said: <\/strong>\u201cThis COP can turn this tipping point into a turning point for nature. That means delivering an ambitious global deal to put Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the centre of global conservation with at least 30% of global land and waters protected by 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The commitments made at COP15 will determine the protections afforded to global biodiversity until 2030. The last biodiversity targets were set in Aichi, 2010. Canada<\/a> failed to meet a single one. <\/p>\n\n \u201cAs host country, Canada must set the example by passing a national Nature and Biodiversity Act<\/em> that will actually give nature and wildlife a fighting chance,\u201d Toribau continued. <\/strong>\u201cThe last decade was a devastating loss for nature. We don\u2019t have another decade to spare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n ENDS<\/p>\n\n Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n [1] Images of the action at l\u2019Anneau can be found in the Greenpeace Media Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n [2] A Greenpeace Canada report<\/a> published earlier this year found mammal populations in Canada declined by 43 per cent, amphibian and reptile populations decreased by 34 per cent, and fish populations dropped by 20 per cent from 1970 to 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n [3] For more information about Greenpeace\u2019s positions around COP15, see this COP15 backgrounder<\/a>. For further detail on Greenpeace\u2019s global positions, please visit our briefing<\/a> and 30×30 briefing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n For more information, please contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Brandon Wei, Communications officer, Greenpeace Canada, brandon.wei@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +1 778 772-6138<\/p>\n\n August Rick, International communications officer, Greenpeace East Asia, arick@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +1 514 433 0550 <\/p>\n\n Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +31 20 718 2470 (24 hours)<\/p>\n\n