More than 50 countries, including the United Kingdom and France, are committing to the protection of a minimum of 30% of land and oceans by halting the destruction of the natural world.
Threat of Extinction
In an article by the Guardian, recent biological annihilation of wildlife points to a sixth mass extinction event.
According to a peer-revied journal in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the sixth mass extinction is ongoingly signaled by vertebrate population declines.
From data gathered, experts believe that the sixth mass extinction is more severe than initial estimates when looking exclusively at species extinctions.
Hence, humans have to address the imminent threat of an anthropogenic population.
Commitment to Protect at Least 30%
The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People is an intergovernmental coalition that seeks to protect our future and our world. It aims to prevent the collapse of natural systems that provide us, along with all of the planet's creatures, with clean air, a stable climate, clean water, and food.
Co-chaired by the United Kingdom, France, and Costa Rica, the coalition launched on January 11, 2021, at the One Planet Summit in Paris.
Utilizing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, HAC pushes for ambitious, science-based global action to safeguard humanity's future.
The 50 countries that joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People together hold 30% of global terrestrial biodiversity and 1/4th of the world's terrestrial carbon stores, and 28% of ocean diversity, according to Campaign Fortunate Organization.
The countries in the coalition are committed to protecting at least 30% of global land and sea by 2030.
"We know there is no pathway to tackling climate change that does not involve a massive increase in our efforts to protect and restore nature," says United Kingdom Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment, Zac Goldsmith.
The Secretary of State for Biodiversity France, Berangere Abba says, "the year 2021 is made of opportunities that we must seize to keep promoting the 30% protection target and the High Ambition Coalition."
Why Just 30%?
According to the Campaign for Nature, only 15% of our land and 7% of our oceans are currently protected.
Scientists have reported that humans activity has altered 66% of oceans and 75% of land areas. And roughly a million animal and plant species are now severely threatened with predicted extinction within decades.
The commitment of more than 50 countries from different continents to protect at least 30% of the world's land and oceans is a step in the right direction for our future and planet.
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