Redirect harmful subsidies to benefit the planet, UN urges governments

Head of the Kunming biodiversity summit asks nations to review destructive support for fishing, agriculture and other industries

Billions of pounds of environmentally harmful government subsidies must be redirected to benefit nature, the United Nation's biodiversity chief has said, before the restart of negotiations on an international agreement to set new targets for protecting nature.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said states must review and adapt support for agriculture, fishing and other industries that are driving the destruction of the natural world, and adopt policies that meet human needs while also conserving the health of the planet.