COP16: Finance talks break down, but some big wins at UN nature summit

Colombia conference brings historic agreement for Indigenous groups and a fund for sharing benefits from genetic resources, but key issue of biodiversity finance must wait
Nature

COP16: What’s on the agenda at this year’s biodiversity talks?

Two years on from the global deal on nature, the focus is now on pushing action forward
<p>Gas flares near the town of Dureno, in the north-eastern province of Sucumbíos, Ecuador. The site is one of the stops on a guided ‘toxitour’, in which visitors are taken to see the impacts of five decades of oil extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Image: <a href="https://www.behance.net/batrix721">Patricio Terán</a> / Dialogue Earth)</p>
Photo story

In Ecuador, ‘toxitours’ show the scars left by oil in the Amazon

Guided tours take visitors to abandoned flares and pools of oil, and share stories of wider health and environmental impacts – as well as grim warnings for the future

Highlights

Skyline of Dakar, Senegal Article

Who benefits from Senegal’s offshore oil drilling?

Oil and gas push highlights tensions between energy access, fighting climate change, and a desire for economic prosperity
three young people surrounding ground level solar panels Article

Solar power is booming in Brazil. Can it be a boom for all?

Solar is now Brazil’s second-largest source of electricity. Experts say its growth must also reach and respect communities cut off from the grid
A man, young girl and woman stood facing the camera holding yellow flowers and placards with writing on Article

How South Korea’s landmark climate hearings could shape regional action

The country’s constitutional court is examining whether government inaction on climate change violates citizens’ rights. Could it set a regional precedent?
A forestry official stands on dry brush on a smouldering hillside Article

Bhutan explores controlled burning of mountainsides

Reviving the traditional practice could protect pastureland ecosystems in the Himalayas from destructive climate change-driven wildfires