Argentina among four nations accused of undermining science at UN nature talks

Argentina has been accused of joining Russia and Saudi Arabia in efforts to weaken the scientific basis of global environmental policy, as a United Nations biodiversity summit in Armenia enters its final days.

Diplomats at the COP17 talks in Yerevan told the AFP news agency Thursday that the three countries, alongside Brazil to a lesser extent, were resisting the endorsement of scientific assessments on the links between biodiversity loss, climate change and the economic forces driving both crises.

The dispute centres on two reports by the UN-backed Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), with nearly 200 countries negotiating how their findings should inform international efforts to protect nature.

A French government delegate accused Argentina, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Brazil of frustrating progress, drawing parallels with recent disputes at the UN's climate science panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

"The same thing is happening here as what is taking place with the IPCC," the delegate told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.

A negotiator from another developed country also identified the four nations as central to the pushback.

"There is a clear alliance of Russia, Saudi, Argentina and, to some extent, Brazil all working together to try to water down IPBES reports, not welcome them, or use them as bargaining chips in other negotiation items," the negotiator said.

The allegations place Argentina at the centre of a broader dispute over the role of scientific evidence in international environmental negotiations.

Academics and civil society groups attending COP17 have issued a joint statement expressing concern about the state of the negotiations.

The dispute reflects a growing pattern in consensus-based international negotiations, where countries reliant on fossil fuel production have been accused of obstructing efforts to address climate change and other environmental problems.

The criticism came a day after Argentina voted against condemning the US embargo on Cuba, reaffirming its alignment with Donald Trump’s government at the UN. From the region, Paraguay, Colombia and Ecuador also voted against the resolution.

Foreign Secretary Pablo Quirno announced the decision via his account on social media platform X: “At the United Nations General Assembly, Argentina voted against the resolution on Cuba, because there is no freedom without democracy, nor economic development without respect for private property and individual rights.”

Quirno criticised Miguel Díaz-Canel’s dictatorship, arguing that “the Cuban regime cannot continue to hide behind sovereignty to justify the oppression of its people, political persecution, the suppression of freedoms and the denial of fundamental rights.”

In 2024, then-foreign minister Diana Mondino voted against the embargo in line with Argentina’s previous position on the issue, a move that prompted her immediate dismissal by President Milei.

– TIMES/AFP/NA