Expressing the need for protecting and conserving at least 50 percent of the land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems in the United States and encouraging diplomatic community efforts to achieve this goal worldwide.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 430 Expressing the need for protecting and conserving at least 50 percent of the land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems in the United States and encouraging diplomatic community efforts to achieve this goal worldwide. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 22, 2023 Mr. BEYER (for himself and Ms. STANSBURY) submitted the following resolu- tion; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subse- quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Expressing the need for protecting and conserving at least 50 percent of the land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems in the United States and encouraging diplomatic commu- nity efforts to achieve this goal worldwide. Whereas the Earth is facing a crisis of biodiversity loss and species extinction; Whereas there has been an average 69-percent decrease in population sizes of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2018; Whereas the recent global rate of species extinction is at least tens-to-hundreds of times higher than the average rate VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR430.IH HR430 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 430 IH over the past ten million years and has increased sharply since 1900; Whereas today more than one million plants and animal spe- cies are threatened with extinction; Whereas climate change increases the risks of species extinc- tion and irreversible loss of biodiversity, presenting an ex- istential crisis for humans and millions of other species around the world; Whereas human-driven changes in land and sea use are driv- ers of both biodiversity loss and climate change; Whereas ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, and mangroves can sequester large amounts of carbon, and protecting these areas and their wildlife populations can mitigate climate change by preventing carbon from being released into the atmosphere; Whereas conserving and restoring natural ecosystems pro- vides greater net economic benefits than destroying nat- ural spaces and wildlife for profit; Whereas industries that do not harm biodiversity, such as the outdoor recreation industry that supported 4.5 million jobs across the United States and accounted for $862 bil- lion in gross output in 2021, enable individuals to have meaningful careers outside in nature; Whereas establishing protected natural areas can contribute many benefits to people, including by— (1) mitigating effects of climate change and buffering the impacts of extreme weather events; (2) providing cleaner drinking water; (3) reducing air pollution; (4) being a source of new medicines; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR430.IH HR430 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 430 IH (5) reducing local rates of infectious diseases and broader risk of zoonotic spillover that can contribute to pandemics; and (6) supporting pollinators and other beneficial spe- cies for food production, globally valued at up to more than five hundred billion dollars; Whereas access to nature ensures cultural and spiritual en- richment, as well as physical and mental health benefits; Whereas all life depends on essential ecosystems, and, there- fore, damaging or erasing them can have a profound im- pact on biodiversity and human health and well-being; Whereas inequitable policies have led to a targeted denuding of biodiversity in communities of color, low-income com- munities, and Tribal communities, creating great harm and preventing these communities from having equal ac- cess to the benefits of biodiversity; Whereas the degradation and destruction of natural habitat is the primary cause of biological diversity loss at every level; Whereas only by the preservation and conservation of sub- stantial, more natural, intact habitat than previously en- visioned can human-driven extinctions be eliminated; Whereas the late American biologist E.O. Wilson estimated that protecting half of the Earth’s surface would ensure the sustainable persistence of 85 percent of the planet’s species, and with it, global biodiversity; Whereas the conservation science community has developed robust tools to inform the identification of natural habi- tats that provide the best opportunity to safeguard spe- cies; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR430.IH HR430 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 430 IH Whereas area-based conservation goals are key to averting biodiversity loss and can be achieved through collabo- rative efforts, including— (1) public-private partnerships, which play a notable role in conservation within the United States and around the world; (2) stewardship of local communities on the ground and indigenous peoples, honoring their rights to lands, territories, and resources; and (3) international cooperation; and Whereas the America the Beautiful Initiative and its goal of conserving 30 percent of land, freshwater, and ocean eco- systems in the United States by 2030 is a crucial first step to protecting biodiversity and mitigating the effects of climate change: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that— 2 (1) the Earth is facing an imminent crisis from 3 the extinction of species and the decline of biodiver- 4 sity; and 5 (2) Congress should work to support protecting 6 and conserving at least 50 percent of the land, 7 freshwater, and ocean ecosystems in the United 8 States and encourage diplomatic community efforts 9 to achieve this goal worldwide, including early and 10 often stakeholder consultation to ensure just impacts 11 and transition. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR430.IH HR430 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS