A 5.5-meter (18-foot) work of art took a year to build from recycled steel and is now on display at the Montreal Convention Center, leaving policymakers at the COP15 meeting in awe feet as they try to reach an agreement on nature.
It’s not always easy to understand the complex environmental diplomacy unfolding at the UN summit seen as humanity’s last hope to save nature.
That’s why a scientist and artist have teamed up to build a massive, data-driven robotics factory that could wither or grow depending on the policy commitments of countries. family: a tangible demonstration of how human action will impact the world’s threatened species.
Called “ECONARIO,” the 5.5-meter (18-foot) artwork took a year to build from recycled steel and is now on display at the Montreal Convention Center, prompting key planners to at the COP15 meeting on tiptoe as they tried to come up with a solution. deal to protect ecosystems.
Its creator, Dutch artist Thijs Biersteker, told AFP the idea behind it was simple: “If research doesn’t reach us, how can research teach us?”
“Art reflects the times we live in and it will reflect these important issues.”
Plants feed on data from the Biodiversity Integrity Index (BII)—an estimated percentage of the original number of species remaining and their abundance in any given area, regardless of location. challenge human impact.
Data scientist Adriana De Palma of London’s Natural History Museum, who led the research on the BII, told AFP it was based on an open, peer-reviewed and robust approach.
As the negotiations progress, the team behind the BII will offer opinions, such as how many countries have committed to the foundational commitment to protect 30% of their land and oceans by 2030.
“We can then predict what that will mean for biodiversity in the next 20, 50 or 100 years,” she said.
Dutch artist Thijs Biersteker (left) and scientist Adriana de Palma pose in front of “ECONARIO”, an art installation by Biersteker, during the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) in Montreal.
Rooting for success
New funding commitments by wealthy nations to assist lower-income countries in protecting their biodiversity have helped slightly lift the predicted global average BII to 70.7 % by 2050—meaning the average ecosystem will have that percentage of the natural ecological community remaining.
The current figure is 68.5%, which would drop to 66.4% if “business as usual” resumes but rise to 76.4% in the event of “real action” that the summit The United Nations is expected to launch.
For now, ECONARIO is swinging between pessimistic and optimistic scenarios to show what can happen—but if policymakers fall short of their ambitious target, that will be reflected. in a robot factory looks very unfortunate.
“We shouldn’t shy away from tough numbers, there’s no time to draw lines,” says Biersteker.
De Palma added that they are in talks with museums in North America to lend the artwork once the UN summit is over, and it will eventually return to Europe.
“Use a piece of art like this to really connect with people so they see the harm that personal choices, corporate choices, and government choices are doing to people,” she said. The world is extremely precious.
© 2022 AFP
quote: Robot plants grow, wither to the fate of the United Nations Nature Talks (2022, December 17) taken December 17, 2022 from https://techxplore.com/news/2022 -12-robots-wilts-fate-nature.html
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