Protecting Half The Planet Could Be The Key To Helping Solve Climate Change
Human activity has had a devastating effect on the planet. Climate change and loss of biodiversity continue to accelerate, threatening what remains of protected lands and organisms. The most recent estimates suggest that one million species face extinction within decades. Because of the mounting climate crisis, a global plan is underway to designate 30 percent of land and sea as protected by 2030.
Is 30% enough?
Eric Dinerstein, a conservation biologist at RESOLVE, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., doesn’t think so. He and his colleagues believe that the best path to avert the impending biodiversity and climate crises is to preserve the entire 50 percent of relatively undeveloped land that remains on Earth. Dinerstein and his team have mapped out a “Global Safety Net” of the regions that can be preserved in order to meet critical conservation and climate goals.
What areas would be included in the Global Safety Net?
The researchers began by mapping out established protected areas, which account for 15% of the total land on Earth. Then, they calculated what additional land is required to meet different goals. They determined that:
2.3% of land is needed to preserve rare species not already protected
6% of land is needed to conserve additional areas with exceptional biodiversity
6.3% of land is needed to maintain “rare phenomena,” (unique areas that support large mammals)
16% of land is needed to conserve large tracts of wilderness that support wide-ranging species like caribou
4.7% of land is needed to store carbon.
Dinerstein is cautiously optimistic that a determined worldwide effort to preserve these areas could make a real difference in meeting conservation goals.
“If humanity moves quickly, it can achieve the goals of the Paris climate accord while also slowing the rate of species extinctions,” he said.