America the Beautiful: a Call to Action for Our Future
by Apurva Iyengar
If you’d be surprised to see an 18-year-old like myself reading a Department of the Interior report on her phone instead of scrolling through TikTok, you wouldn’t be alone. While the “America the Beautiful” report (that came out just in time for World Ocean Day) might not be quite as entertaining to Gen Z as social media, it’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in a while as a young ocean activist.
The America the Beautiful report released last month is a bold and decisive promise to safeguard 30% of US oceans and land by 2030 (a goal known by many as “30x30”) and the first commitment of its kind that the US government has undertaken for the future of my generation. In the words of White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, “This is the first national conservation goal we have ever set as a country.” And that is undeniably powerful.
Over the course of my term on the Youth Leadership Council of environmental education NGO EarthEcho International, there are two things that have become exceptionally clear, first, the will and voices of young people are almost impossible to ignore, and second, our planet is — so far — incredibly resilient. Even after the impact humanity has had on our shared home for centuries, it continues to be a hospitable and inhabitable place.
This resilience, in large part, comes from our ocean. The ocean is simultaneously one the most vulnerable parts of our world to the effects of climate change and one of our key defenses against its impacts. We cannot afford to lose it, and 30x30 is key for that reason, because it uniquely places our ocean and our land at the same level of importance.
The 30x30 goal is not a silver bullet. Protecting 30% of the world’s ocean and lands by 2030 will not will not eliminate all excess CO2 from our atmosphere, rid our oceans of plastic pollution or ensure an equitable and safe future for my generation. But the Biden Administration’s vision is a meaningful step in the right direction, one that will put the world on the path toward those goals and help the US regain its position as a world leader for our planet and future.
While the details of achieving 30x30 remain to be determined, the goal’s message is crystal clear for my generation: it’s a step in the right direction. At EarthEcho, we’ve seen a wave of youth support for our #OceanEcho30x30 Campaign, with young people from all around the world leading their own 30x30 presentations and educating their communities, writing op-eds discussing the goal, and leading conservation efforts to restore local waterways.
For the youth movement at large, 30x30 feels like progress, in a time where victories for our future have been few and far between. The America the Beautiful program is endorsed by Indigenous leaders and was developed with their input, as well as the insights of “hunters, farmers, scientists and outdoor-recreation businesses, as well as,…city and state officials.” Injustice and inequity have been at the root of the problems plaguing our planet, and the Biden Administration’s 30x30 vision is grounded in inclusivity and reaching underserved communities, to ensure that every American has access to nature in its most resilient and healthy form.
I commend President Biden, Senators Booker and Menendez, and Congressman Tom Malinowski from my state of New Jersey for their leadership on and support of this powerful initiative. However, I must stress that the America the Beautiful vision must not be the conclusion, but the beginning of our progress toward a better future. We must continue to build on the momentum established by this goal and work to ensure that it does not become another empty promise to my generation.
The America the Beautiful report is a bold and necessary vision for our future. The real hard work begins now, as we work to turn that vision into a reality.
Apurva Iyengar is a 18-year-old changemaker based in Montgomery, NJ. She serves on the Youth Leadership Council of EarthEcho International and is the founder of Youth.ify, an initiative aimed at unifying the youth environmental movement worldwide. Apurva will be pursuing her undergraduate degree in Massachusetts next fall as a member of the Class of ’25 at Tufts University.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/05/06/biden-conservation-30x30/
