May 27, 2023
A joint statement below from Mark Magaña, Founding Member And Co-chair, America The Beautiful For All Coalition; Founding President & CEO of GreenLatinos, and Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Founding Member And Co-chair, America The Beautiful For All Coalition; Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network:
“We welcome and celebrate the reintroduction of the Half Earth Resolution by Representative Don Beyer to the United States House of Representatives last week as an important step towards protecting half the Earth’s land and sea in order to ensure the long-term health of our planet. With rising temperatures and other undeniable consequences of climate change before our eyes and already affecting frontline communities–most often Indigenous and communities of color–the time is now for the United States government and states around the world to take action that prioritizes the protection of our planet and its biodiversity. The health and well-being of current and future generations depend on it, and we’re thankful to Representative Beyer for championing this urgent cause.
The Half Earth Resolution not only confirms the need for conserving at least 50% of our planet but also encourages diplomatic efforts to achieve this goal globally. The resolution was introduced on International Day for Biological Diversity and is based on work by American biologist Dr. E.O. Wilson. His work contributed to the 30×30 climate goals–protection of 30% of our lands and waters by 2030 that, along with the Justice 40 Initiative, are the twin advocacy goals of the America The Beautiful For All Coalition.”
About Us:
The America the Beautiful for All Coalition consists of nearly 200 organizations working collectively to thwart the rapidly advancing impacts of climate change; stem the loss of biodiversity; increase more equitable access to nature’s benefits; and ensure at least 40% of conservation spending occurs in communities of color and frontline communities that have historically seen little to no conservation investments. Member organizations range in focus from urban parks and green space, Indigenous rights, public lands protection, public health, wildlife, outdoor recreation and freshwater and ocean conservation — all representative of identities and issue areas that have traditionally been underrepresented in conservation decision-making in the United States.
