India Joins High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People
- At a ceremony held between the French and Indian governments on 7th October in New Delhi, India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30x30.
- India is a major player for biodiversity protection, the French ambassador informed that this coalition aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 % the of world's land and ocean by 2030.
- It was initiated by “One Planet Summit” in Paris in January 2021 and will be a real game changer and will boost India's multilateral efforts.
About:
- HAC members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south; European, Latin American, Africa and Asia countries are among the members. India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to join the HAC.
- India’s announcement comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting, hosted by China. The virtual meeting to take place October 11-15 will tackle key aspects of the biodiversity treaty to be finalized in 2022.
- The global 30x30 goal - to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 - is currently a centrepiece of the treaty, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
Why 30×30?
- In order to address both the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis, there is growing scientific research that half of the planet must be kept in a natural state.
- Despite this, experts agree that a scientifically credible and necessary interim goal is to achieve a minimum of 30% protection by 2030.
- The scientific data help justify the 30×30 target for biodiversity conservation both at a global level and a regional level.