30X30

A choice resting spot

30X30, a plan to save biodiversity on planet earth can work if we let it.

The U.S. covers a vast array of ecosystems, from Alaska’s Arctic tundra to Florida’s tropical swamps, with prairies, snow-capped peaks and deserts in between. Like the rest of the planet, humans are putting those ecosystems under enormous strain as we convert land to agriculture and urban development, release myriad pollutants and burn fossil fuels that spew heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But fast action can stem the resulting loss of biodiversity and give animals, plants and the ecosystems they make up the best possible chance to adapt.

One action getting headlines is a science-backed proposal to set aside at least 30 percent of the planet’s surface for conservation by 2030 known as 30x30. The Biden administration has endorsed this 30 percent goal for the U.S. and made it a principle of its Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful plan. The administration recently announced that the U.S. had formally joined the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of more than 90 countries encouraging the adoption of the 30x30 target.

It's now or never, right?