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An annual United Nations conference on biodiversity that ran out of time last year will resume its work Tuesday in Rome with money at the top of the agenda.That is, how to spend what’s been pledged so farand how to raise a lot more to help preserve plant and animal life on Earth.The talks in Colombia known as COP16 yielded some significant outcomes before they broke up in November, including an agreement that requires companies that benefit from genetic resources in naturesay, by developing medicines from rainforest plantsto share the benefits. And steps were taken to give Indigenous peoples and local communities a stronger voice in conservation matters.But two weeks turned out to be not enough time to get everything done.The Cali talks followed the historic 2022 COP15 accord in Montreal, which included 23 measures aimed at protecting biodiversity. Those included putting 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030, known as the Global Biodiversity Framework.“Montreal was about the ‘what’what are we all working towards together?” said Georgina Chandler, head of policy and campaigns for the Zoological Society London. “Cali was supposed to focus on the ‘how’putting the plans and the financing in place to ensure we can actually implement this framework.”“They eventually lost a quorum because people simply went home,” said Linda Krueger of The Nature Conservancy, who is in Rome for the two days of talks. “And so now we’re having to finish these last critical decisions, which are some of the the nitty-gritty decisions on financing, on resource mobilization, and on the planning and monitoring and reporting requirements under the Global Biodiversity Framework.”The overall financial aim was to achieve $20 billion a year in the fund by 2025, and then $30 billion by 2030. So far, only $383 million had been pledged as of November, from 12 nations or subnations: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Province of Québec, Spain, and the United Kingdom.Participants will discuss establishing a “global financing instrument for biodiversity” intended to effectively distribute the money raised. And a big part of the talks will be about raising more money. ‘Completely off track’ on larger financial goal Chandler and Kruger both said the finance points at Colombia’s talks were particularly contentious.“It’s really about how do we collect the money and how do we get it distributed fairly, get it to the ground where it’s needed most, so that that’s really the core issue,” said Kruger.Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, a think tank specializing in global economic and environmental policy, was pessimistic about raising a great deal more money.“We are completely off track in terms of achieving that money,” Soria said. Key sources of biodiversity finance are shrinking or disappearing, he said.“What was supposed to be a good Colombian telenovela in which people will actually bring the right resources, and the happy ending of bringing their money, could actually end up being a tragic Italian opera, where no one actually agrees to anything and everyone loses,” Soria said.Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s former environment minister and the COP16 president, said she’s hopeful of “a good message from Rome.”“That message is that still, even with a very fragmented geopolitical landscape, with a world increasingly in conflict, we can still get an agreement on some fundamental issues,” Muhamad said in a statement. “And one of the most important is the need to protect life in this crisis of climate change and biodiversity.”Global wildlife populations have plunged on average by 73% in 50 years, according to an October report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London.“Biodiversity is basically essential to our livelihoods and well-being,” Chandler said. “It’s essential to the the air we breathe, the water we drink, rainfall that food systems rely on, protecting us from increasing temperatures and increasing storm occurrences as well.”Chandler said deforestation in the Amazon has far-reaching impacts across South America, just as it does in the Congo Basin and other major biodiverse regions worldwide.“We know that has an impact on rainfall, on food systems, on soil integrity in other countries. So it’s not just something that’s kind of small and isolated. It’s a widespread problem,” she said. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Steven Grattan, Associated Press
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New York City collected $48.6 million in revenue from the first month of its congestion pricing program that the Trump administration has moved to kill, a transit agency said. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said on Monday that in January the program reduced congestion and raised $48.6 million with $11.1 million in expenses and net operating revenue of $37.5 million. New York Governor Kathy Hochul met with President Donald Trump on Friday to make the case for the congestion pricing program. Under the program, which launched on January 5, most passenger vehicles are charged $9 during peak periods to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. Trucks and buses pay up to $21.60. The fee is reduced by 75% at night. The MTA, which has issued $900 million in debt for the congestion system infrastructure costs and capital projects, projected Monday it is on track to raise $500 million in net revenue the first year, noting it only collected revenue for 27 days in January. In total, 68% of revenue came from passenger vehicles, 22% taxis and ride share vehicles, 9% from trucks and 1% motorcycles and buses. The MTA sued last week seeking to block Trump’s effort to terminate the program. Hochul has said that funds raised from the program would underpin $15 billion in debt financing for mass transit capital improvements. The program was approved in the final months of former President Joe Biden’s administration. Charged via electronic license plate readers, private cars pay once a day regardless of how many trips they make into the central business district. A few other cities have implemented congestion pricing systems. London, which began its system in 2003, now charges 15 pounds ($18.70). Singapore and Sweden also have congestion pricing plans. Before the fee, New York said more than 700,000 vehicles entered the Manhattan central business district daily, slowing traffic to around 7 miles per hour (11 kph) on average, which is 23% slower than in 2010. David Shepardson, Reuters
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As Fashion Week takes over New York, London, and Milan, designers arent just showcasing their collections on the runwaythey’re taking over LinkedIn. The job-seeking platform reports a fivefold increase in live fashion show broadcasts over the past three years, with 85% of luxury brands turning to the professional social network to reach those with money to spend. LVMH and Louis Vuitton set the trend in 2019, making live fashion shows on LinkedIn the core of their engagement strategy. The move quickly paid off. After unveiling a new mens collection in Shanghai, the brand drew nearly a million potential luxury buyers in just three days. Soon fashion powerhouses like Herms, Dior, Prada, and Balenciaga followed suit, bringing high fashion to the professional network. Since then, LinkedIn has proven to be an essential marketing tool for meeting high-net-worth clients where they are at. After all, every successful professional comes with purchasing power. With over one billion members, more than 30% of LinkedIn users are interested in fashion, a much higher figure than on other social networks. LinkedIn data also reveals that 67% of luxury purchases happen after a career promotion or job change. Brands can tap into these pivotal moments using the platforms Career Changers feature, which identifies users in professional transition, right when theyre most likely to splurge. Fashion is deeply tied to self-expression, and on LinkedIn, where professional identity plays a key role, luxury brands have the opportunity to engage with their audiences in a way that feels relevant, whether its dressing for a leadership role, investing in timeless pieces, or aligning with a particular lifestyle, Stephanie Barret, head of luxury at LinkedIn, tells Fast Company. Unlike mainstream social media, where fashion content competes with a wide range of entertainment-driven content, LinkedIn offers a focused, high-quality environment where professionals engage with premium storytelling. Beyond its corporate roots, the networking platform is adapting to offer services that go further than simple job searches. Features like Live Event Ads enable brands to engage audiences before, during, and after major fashion shows. Additionally, luxury brands looking for ways to promote their content from members or influencers can make use of LinkedIns Thought Leader Ads, generating 2.3 times more clicks than traditional ads. LinkedIns efforts are paying off. A study by influence management platform AmazingContent reveals LinkedIn as the preferred platform by luxury leaders 70% of luxury content engagement is on LinkedIn (compared to 20% on Instagram and 10% on X). At the core, success on LinkedIn is about narrative-driven engagementusing livestreams, industry voices, and interactive content to showcase craftsmanship, heritage, and innovation in a way that resonates with high-intent consumers, says Barret. By tapping into LinkedIns professional audience, brands can align their messaging with key career moments, ensuring they reach people at times when they are naturally inclined to invest in luxury.
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