At UN summit, new hope for deal to save natureTop participants hope COP15 talks aimed at sealing a "peace pact for nature" will yield a major deal. MONTREAL - Top officials at high-stakes UN biodiversity negotiations said Saturday they were confident of securing a major deal to save the natural world from destruction. Observers had warned the COP15 talks aimed at sealing a "peace pact for nature" risked collapse due to disagreement over how much the rich world should pay to save ecosystems in developing countries. But the Chinese chair of the conference said Saturday he was "greatly confident" delegates would reach a deal and his Canadian counterpart said "tremendous" progress had been made. The European Union has committed seven billion euros ($7.4 billion) for the period until 2027, double its prior pledge.
