‘Embrace history’: UN environment chief calls for immediate action on Cop15 deal

Inger Andersen said we must not ‘pause for a second’ as we ‘change the relationship between people and nature’

The UN’s environment chief has urged citizens, businesses and governments to “not pause for a second” in implementing the new once-in-a-decade deal to halt the destruction of nature, calling for changes in consumption patterns and attitudes.

“[With the new agreement] we are acknowledging that protecting the natural world represents a sum of linear efforts by governments, by businesses and by us – each one of us as individuals and consumers,” said Inger Andersen, the executive director of the UN environment programme.