In 2016, Edward O. Wilson proposed that half of Earth‘s surface should be protected similar to a national park. In 2020, California governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order with the goal of protecting 30% of the state’s surface by 2030 (30 x 30). Given that we’re now halfway between 2020 and 2030, I was curious how this goal is progressing.
There is a report from last year, but it doesn’t clearly state if the state is on track to hit its 30% goal by 2030. It does state that 631,000 additional acres were protected by 2023 and 861,000 by 2024. This is 0.6% and 0.8% of California’s total area, respectively. If 0.8% are added every year until 2030, this would lead to a total increase of 4.8%.
Since according to the report 25.2% were protected in 2024, this would imply the state is on track of hitting its goal. If it does, people will naturally start thinking about 50 by 50, which was Wilson’s original goal. I’m all for it.
Nehaveigur 
2 responses to “30 by 30”
[…] To be fair, there are plausible reasons why declining birth rates are going to lead to problems. Low birth rates lead to fewer people working in the long run, which means less tax revenue, less economic growth and less retirement funding for more retirees. A country with fewer young people may lead to less dynamism. These are all valid concerns. There are also positives such as less pressure on natural resources and more space for nature reserves. […]
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[…] of land, water and air we set aside for permanent conservation will far exceed current levels. Edward O. Wilson’s proposal to protect half of Earth’s surface is a worthy goal. This also implies long-term management of global […]
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