Go behind the scenes with executive editor Vernon Loeb and reporter Katie Surma as they discuss the tumultuous international gathering to protect the world’s wetlands.

Representatives of more than 170 countries gathered in Zimbabwe last week for the Convention on Wetlands, a global environmental protection treaty aimed at saving Earth’s fastest-disappearing ecosystem.

Geopolitics quickly took over. Disputes broke out between Russia, China, and other nations about a resolution to preserve Ukraine’s wetlands. The U.S. delegation was a no-show until the final days of the summit, when one American representative came to demand that conference documents include no mention of climate change, DEI, gender, the U.N.’s sustainable development goals, or “zero growth.”

Katie, likely the only U.S. reporter attending the convention, breaks down the political maneuvers on display, why the world should care about wetlands, and one thing that gave her hope.

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