World Ocean Day: Take action to protect and restore nature
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/world-ocean-day-take-action-to-protect-and-restore-nature/
Author: Chrissy Sexton
On, World Ocean Day, the global community unites to raise awareness about ocean conservation. This year’s focus is the 30×30 goal, a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30 percent of Earth’s land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030. In 2020, a comprehensive report by more than 100 economists and scientists confirmed just how valuable that the establishment of more protected areas would be for the global economy. The experts considered various scenarios of protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean. The study revealed that the benefits of protected areas outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least five to one. “Leading scientists worldwide have determined a healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate and biodiversity crises,” says the World Ocean Day network. “By supporting 30×30, we can protect our planet’s life support systems - specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate, and biodiversity. Currently, less than 17 percent of land and eight percent of the ocean worldwide is protected.”