Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A coalition of hundreds of environmental groups, nonprofits, and social betterment organizations have unveiled new recommendations for advancing the biggest conservation goal in American history.
The America the Beautiful for All Coalition released its 2024 Policy Agenda laying out a series of detailed recommendations for the White House and Congress to protect 30 percent of all lands and waters in the United States. The platform focuses on public health and justice-oriented priorities within efforts to protect public lands, wildlife habitat, oceans and freshwater, and urban parks and green space. The Coalition’s recommendations include passing a robust Farm Bill with protections for freshwater and wildlife, increasing support for Indigenous and Tribal conservation efforts, establishing a national biodiversity strategy to address the extinction crisis, expanding habitat protections and wildlife corridors, and building a more inclusive public lands and waters system to expand nature access for all.
Scientists recognize protecting 30 percent of lands and waters as a necessity to staving off the worst effects of the climate crisis. If the U.S. takes no additional action, past trends suggest the country would lose an additional 15.3 million acres of natural spaces over the next 10 years, jeopardizing 34 percent of plants, 40 percent of animals, and 41 percent of ecosystems. At the same time, nearly three in four communities of color live in nature-deprived areas, which limits access to nature, clean air and water, and raises risks of respiratory and other ailments.
The full slate of policy proscriptions is available here.
In response, Jackie Ostfeld, Director of Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All Campaign, released the following statement:
“When the Biden Administration launched the America the Beautiful Initiative three years ago, they set the most ambitious conservation goal ever attempted in the United States. Today, our vast and diverse coalition laid out a plan for how to achieve that ambitious goal.
“Conserving 30 percent of all lands and waters in the country means protecting more places in the next decade than we did in the last century. Our coalition recognizes that we must act now and act fast to take on the climate crisis, protect landscapes and habitat, stop the extinction crisis, and expand access to nature for all. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration to ensure that our lands, waters, communities, and wildlife are preserved for this generation and the next.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.