“California officials have moved closer to their goal of conserving 30% of lands and coastal waters by the target year of 2030, a revelation that arrives as the Trump administration advances directives that could claw back areas that were set aside.
Nearly five years after the inception of the so-called 30×30 initiative, California has conserved 26.1% of its lands and 21.9% of its coastal waters — or roughly 41,000 square miles and 1,150 square miles, respectively — according to a California Natural Resources Agency report released Monday.
In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that set the 30×30 effort in motion. The initiative kicked off in earnest two years later when officials released a detailed road map for the plan. At that time, approximately 23.8% of lands and 16.2% of coastal waters were conserved.
The stated goals of the 30×30 initiative extend beyond conservation. The plan also seeks to restore biodiversity, expand Californians’ access to nature and help mitigate and build resilience to climate change.”
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by President Trump’s initial decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% by 2025, 50-52% by 2030, and 61-66% by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories will continue to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions to grow the economy, create jobs, and protect public health, and have a long record of action and results. In fact, the Alliance reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 19% between 2005 and 2022, while increasing collective GDP by 30%, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal by reducing collective GHG emissions 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
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