84% of nations miss 2025 deadline to identify nature-harming subsidies: Carbon Brief analysis

A Carbon Brief analysis finds that 84% of countries failed to meet a 2025 target to identify subsidies harmful to biodiversity, as agreed under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Only 21 out of 134 reporting nations completed the identification process. The 32 countries that provided partial or full data spend an estimated $270 billion annually on these subsidies, which experts call the tip of an iceberg that could total $1.8 trillion globally. The missed deadline raises questions about the credibility of international biodiversity commitments. Target 18 of the framework requires countries to phase out or reform at least $500 billion in harmful subsidies by 2030, but with most nations still unable to identify what they spend, progress toward that goal looks uncertain. Subsidies in agriculture, fossil fuels, fishing, and forestry are among the most commonly cited as harmful to ecosystems and species. Subsidy reform is expected to be a key issue at the upcoming COP17 UN nature summit in October 2026. The analysis suggests that without clearer definitions and stronger reporting mechanisms, the gap between stated ambitions and actual reform will persist. Some countries have shown it can be done, but the majority still lack basic transparency on where public money is causing environmental damage.