Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt): On the first day of COP27, the presidents and ministers from Palau, Nigeria, Costa Rica, the UK, France, and the US have affirmed their support for the 30×30 target which commits countries to a global effort to achieve the protection of at least 30 per cent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 to help curb biodiversity loss and climate change.
President of Palau, Surangel S. Whipps Jr, on Monday announced that Palau has joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, an intergovernmental group championing the protection of at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
Engineer H. Musa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Environment and Climate Change from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, announced that all 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had agreed to support 30×30 as part of an “ECOWAS Appeal for an Ambitious Global Response to the Biodiversity Crisis”.
Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister of State for the UK, announced that in discussions with the governments of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, they had all declared their support for the 30×30 land and ocean target.
This makes a total of 112 countries from every region on the earth who now support the 30×30 target.
All the leaders at the event expressed their determination to get a global agreement for 30×30 at the upcoming COP15, the Convention on Biological Diversity summit to be held in Montreal in December, and affirmed their ambition to achieve 30×30 targets together.
“The commitments to be made this week should include the goal of achieving 30×30. Protecting 30 per cent of the world’s ocean is a manageable target for all countries and we should not entertain any excuses for not achieving that goal,” said Surangel S. Whipps Jr, President of Palau.
“Palau and other small island states cannot and should not shoulder the burden of protecting the world’s ocean and land alone. It is time for the world to take responsibility and act so that we are all able to protect and preserve our planet for the generations to come.”
Scientists have issued repeated warnings that nature is in a state of crisis, threatened by habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and climate change.
The ongoing and rapid loss of natural areas across the world poses a grave threat to the health and security of all living things. However, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that conserving at least 30 per cent of the global land and ocean can not only help curb biodiversity loss and prevent extinctions but also store carbon, help prevent future pandemics, and bolster economic growth.
–IANS