A lot of things have changed with the pandemic, and many of us are gleaning a sliver of hope from the news of cleaner air, lower carbon emissions, and the resilience and rebound of nature and wildlife in the face of human retreat to our homes. But one thing hasn’t changed: even with vehicle and industrial emissions falling, the climate crisis remains as huge of a threat as ever. According to NOAA, 2020 is still on track to being the warmest year on record. We can expect natural disasters, droughts, diseases, and other hazards to worsen in the coming years, and to disproportionately harm Latinos and other communities of color.
We can ease the impacts of the current and future disasters, mitigate the climate crisis, and bring so many more benefits by protecting, restoring, and creating green spaces that are accessible to all. Urban trees, for example, lower the rate of asthma in children, keep temperatures comfortable from the heat in summer and wind in winter, absorb air pollution and carbon emissions, reduce energy costs, lower flood risk, improve water and soil quality, lower stress and noise, and bring a sense of community and vitality to neighborhoods. Having a view of trees can even send you home from the hospital faster and healthier.
At a time when we are worried not only for our health, but our jobs as well, it is worth noting that habitat restoration projects generate a high number of jobs for the money spent. One study found that for every million spent by NOAA on coastal habitat restoration, 17 jobs were created – more than double the rate of job creation from coal, gas, and nuclear energy. And having a wetland nearby can boost the economy, reduce losses from flood damage, and bring the same benefits as urban trees.
It is clear that green spaces, encompassing our glorious national parks all the way down to the neighborhood parks where our children once played, can act as a cost-effective fast track to reducing the burdens of inequity that poorer communities and communities of color face. What’s more, they can keep us healthier in the face of COVID-19.
One way to protect and expand our green spaces is with the movement to conserve 30 percent of US lands and waters by 2030. This “30x30” initiative could take its first step with state-level bills, like the ones that have been introduced in California, South Carolina, and Hawaii, to conserve 30 percent of the state’s lands and waters by 2030. 73 percent of voters in Western states support the national initiative, as do 82 percent of Latinos.
COVID-19 will not be the last disaster we face as a society. But we can lessen its effects, and the effects of future disasters, with holistic conservation policies that include pollution reduction and land and water protection and restoration, with equity and access for all.
By Shanna Edberg, HAF's Director of Conservation Programs