Funding deal secured to reverse wildlife decline, and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week

Countries have agreed a $200 billion finance deal to improve global biodiversity, at an extended session of the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP16, the BBC reports.

This agreement outlines key commitments on the funds needed and the institutions through which this finance will be channelled to protect the world’s biodiversity.

Since 1970, the size of animal populations for which data is available has declined by 73% on average, according to the Living Planet Index.

With over half of the world’s GDP – $44 trillion – being highly or moderately dependent on nature and its services, World Economic Forum research shows, this agreement will not only help biodiversity but also the global economy.

Widespread marine heatwaves from 2023-2024 impacted ocean processes, causing loss of ocean life and economic consequences for coastal communities, a study published in Nature finds.

The world's oceans experienced 240% more marine heatwave days last year and in 2023 compared to any other year on record.

These heatwaves have a cumulative effect on our oceans, the authors explained to The Guardian.

The effects on marine life and coastal communities are far-ranging, from whale strandings and coral bleaching events to floods and storm damage. But the true impact could be much worse, they warned, as what we know about marine heatwaves is just the beginning, with much research yet to be published.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, an ocean-current system, is safe from climate collapse for now, a study published in Nature has found. The authors concluded that the combined forces of various ocean currents and winds would keep the system stable even under the most pessimistic climate scenarios.

The European Commission has cut back its flagship sustainability reporting rules, increasing uncertainty around whether investors will put their money into the continent to help it reach climate goals, Reuters reports.

Firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire in Iwate, Japan, which so far has destroyed 2,100 hectares of land in just five days, according to The Japan Times. The combination of dry weather and strong winds have made this wildfire particularly devastating.

Forest fires in Ukraine are pushing up the total greenhouse gas emission figures from the war, with a total estimate of 55 million tonnes in 2024 and nearly 230 million tonnes in the three years of war, a study has found.

The UK government is set to grant licenses to nature groups for the controlled release of beavers into the wild for the first time in centuries, in a bid to improve habitat restoration.

The Arctic 'doomsday' vault, which stores food crop seeds from around the world in caves on a remote Norwegian Arctic island, will receive more than 14,000 new samples, according to Reuters. This vault serves as a backup for the world's gene banks that store the genetic code for thousands of plant species with the aim of protecting global biodiversity.

The University of Sussex will introduce the UK's first undergraduate degree focused on climate justice, called “climate justice, sustainability and development”, and will begin in 2026, according to the university. It will focus on the social equity, historical responsibility and economic transformations involved in climate change.

By 2030, global demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is expected to reach 17 million tonnes per annum, representing 4-5% of total jet fuel consumption. Yet production is lagging. A new Forum white paper explores 10 financial levers that could mobilize the estimated $19-45 billion of investment in SAF production required by 2030.

More than half the world’s GDP depends on nature, finds the World Economic Forum’s Nature Risk Rising report – but rainforests such as the Amazon are under threat from human activity. So how do we reshape economic systems to be more regenerative and protect the natural systems that enable the world to thrive? Here are three areas in which change is needed for this to happen.