VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/I4VmOchhp8o
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Dr. Enric Sala , National Geographic Explorer in Residence and leading marine conservationist, announced the release of a new “whiteboard” video project made in concert with the Center for Western Priorities explaining why America needs to lead the world in protecting 30 percent of America’s land and water by 2030.
Udall introduced the Thirty By Thirty Resolution to Save Nature in the Senate with U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) , bold legislation that would set a national goal of protecting 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030.
“People have already heard a lot about the threat posed by climate change, but we hear less about the nature crisis,” Udall said. “The truth is, we have to solve one to solve the other. They can’t be separated. Here’s what I mean by the nature crisis— humans are destroying nature at a disastrous rate. We’re losing a football field’s worth of nature every 30 seconds.”
“We’ve been able to see the decline of nature around us because of the work of thousands of scientists working all over the world over many years, collecting data on everything from temperature to the abundance of species,” Sala said. “Between our assault on biodiversity and global warming, we are destroying our life support system.”
“Scientists like Dr. Sala tell us we need to protect 30 percent of the land and water by 2030 – and continue on at that pace – to save nature. If we do that, we can halt the biodiversity crisis in its tracks,” Udall continued. “This is the mass mobilization that the United States – and the world – need to save the planet.”
“The good news is, that when we give nature space, she can bounce back spectacularly,” Sala continued. “I have seen places in the ocean that were degraded—that were dead—come back in just a few years after protecting them from our activities.”
“The only way we’ll get there is if the American people continue to organize like they have been – to show their leaders that they won’t accept anything less than bold action to save our planet….If we get to 30 by 30, we can save our planet and make sure our children have a livable world. We can live in better harmony with nature – because protecting the planet, at the end of the day, means protecting humanity,” Udall said.
To learn more about the 30 by 30 initiative, visit RoadTo30.org .
