The White House today convened the Leaders Summit on Climate, which featured 40 leaders from around the world and new commitments from the United States and other nations on climate.
During the Summit, Interior Sec. Deb Haaland announced U.S. support for a proposal to protect the Southern Ocean that would involve three marine protected areas proposed by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources.
The White House noted that all participating nations highlighted support for protecting and conserving marine and terrestrial areas for carbon sequestration and climate resilience, and cited specific ocean targets announced by the Seychelles (protect at least 50% of its seagrass and mangrove ecosystems by 2025 and 100% by 2030), Canada (committing $4 billion for land and ocean protection), and Costa Rica (highlighted intention to protect 30% of its ocean by 2022).
The White House also highlighted a U.S. commitment to provide $34 million for nature-based approaches through the National Coastal Resilience Fund as well as $78 million in grants through the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission to help conserve or restore ~500,000 acres of wetlands in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
