Sep 18, 2023
The America the Beautiful for All Coalition thanks the Biden Administration for their leadership and decisive action that will protect diverse landscapes across America’s Arctic while recognizing the importance of Alaska’s public lands and waters for Alaska Native communities, biodiversity and our global climate.
“We applaud the Biden Administration for their progress towards protecting more than 13 million acres of public lands in America’s Arctic, taking bold action to support healthy communities and explore co-stewardship opportunities with Tribes, protect biodiversity, and advance climate progress. As a coalition of nearly 200 organizations we thank President Biden and the agencies involved in this historic suite of actions, including the cancellation of leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We look forward to seeing broad participation in the ongoing public comment periods,” said Maddie Halloran, America the Beautiful for All Coalition Member and Alaska State Director for the Alaska Wilderness League.
“The permanent and full conservation of Arctic landscapes is foundational to a healthy public lands system and its ability to ameliorate the climate crisis and rapid loss of biodiversity. Average temperatures in the Arctic are increasing about four times as fast as the rest of the globe, making it a frontline of climate change. But what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay there. Continued fossil fuel extraction and the subsequent damage inflicted through climate change affects us all.”
These announcements mark significant progress towards three key Coalition Policy Agenda priorities: to support increased opportunities for co-management & co-stewardship of public lands & waters with Tribes, Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, and Territories, to reject projects that would exacerbate the climate crisis, harm communities, or critical ecosystems, and to phase out new federal drilling and support a just transition to renewable energy.
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.
