Major UN biodiversity summit delayed for third time due to pandemic

Cop15 negotiations to set this decade's targets on nature to be split into two, with face-to-face meetings delayed until 2022

A key United Nations biodiversity summit has been delayed for a third time due to the pandemic, the Chinese environment ministry has announced, as environmentalists pledged the delay would not mean taking our foot off the pedal".

In a statement, the Chinese ministry of ecology and environment confirmed that Cop15, the biggest biodiversity summit in a decade, would be delayed, and that negotiations for this decade's targets will be split into two phases so that governments can meet face-to-face in Kunming, China, in the first half of 2022.