Eyewitness News - OpEd
March 18, 2022
This 30×30 goal launched by the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, is co-chaired by the governments of Costa Rica, France, and the United Kingdom – our allies in advancing the globe toward a more sustainable future. The HAC’s promotion of the 30X30 target is a proactive country-driven response to the climate and biodiversity emergencies that face our planet, particularly small vulnerable economies such as those of the Caribbean.
But what exactly does protecting 30% of the planet’s environment look like? The 30×30 goal is an international target that aggregates the protected areas of every participating nation and was designed to complement each nation’s abilities. For example, large ocean states like ours are in a better position to protect large portions of our marine resources, while an almost entirely landlocked country can commit to a much larger land protection goal. Steeped in science, this 30×30 target will safeguard almost a third of our planet’s oceans and lands including the biodiversity and critical ecosystem services they provide. More pressingly, it will provide a third of the climate mitigation needed by 2030 to ensure our planetary survival.