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A coalition of more than 50 countries across six continents have pledged support for an ambitious goal to protect 30 percent of nature by 2030 to halt the climate and extinction crises before it's too late. The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People says that protecting at least 30 percent of the remaining natural areas on the planet by the end of the decade is crucial to preventing mass extinctions of plants and animals, and necessary to protect life-sustaining ecosystems worldwide that produce clean air and water.
UK environment minister Zac Goldsmith said of the HAC's commitment, “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. We have an enormous opportunity at this year’s biodiversity conference in China to forge an agreement to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.”
Momentum behind the "30x30 goal" to protect nature is growing at the state level in the United States as well. The Center for Western Priorities' Winning the West 2020 poll, taken before the 2020 election, showed overwhelming approval for the 30x30 initiative in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico, with the bold but achievable initiative receiving 75 percent support from voters and majority support across party lines. At the end of last year, New York state lawmakers joined California, Hawaii, and South Carolina in introducing legislation to protect 30 percent of the land and water in the state by 2030.
Bernhardt blindsides BLM state directors with law enforcement order
Last month, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt quietly signed a directive that could dramatically shape the Bureau of Land Management's law enforcement protocols—without notifying BLM state directors. By approving the proposed changes, Bernhardt ignored the recommendations of career Interior Department and BLM officials developed over a two-year process that called for more oversight of law enforcement personnel. BLM state directors and senior personnel were reportedly stunned when William Perry Pendley notified them of the changes last week, including Mike Nedd, the top ranking career official at BLM, who was reportedly unaware of the changes. A coalition of BLM state directors is planning to send a letter to Bernhardt this week to oppose the directive, which alters the chain of command for the BLM's more than 200 law enforcement rangers in ways critics say give political appointees control over how laws and regulations are enforced.
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Congress intended for tribal governments, not Alaska corporate interests, to share in CARES Act funds for Indian Country. Too much is at stake on the COVID response and recovery efforts in Indian Country and contrary to Congressional intent, if funds are siphoned away. We look forward to the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the appeals court’s rejection of Alaska Native Corporations eligibility of CARES Act funds so that these much-needed dollars will finally be distributed to tribal governments who are the rightful recipients and will help their citizens rebuild from what is the worst public health crisis in generations.”
