The European Union has officially passed landmark legislation to restore 20% of the region's land and sea habitats by 2030, after a tense vote and last-minute changes of heart.
The Nature Restoration Law, as the legislation is called, lays out an aggressive plan for change. It had many staunch opponents who had succeeded in watering down its content, but as the Guardian reported, both Austria and Slovakia's last-minute swing in supporting the bill tipped the scales.
"Today's decision is a victory for nature," Leonore Gewessler stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, per the Guardian report. The Austrian climate minister played a decisive role in the vote. "My conscience tells me unmistakably [that] when the healthy and happy life of future generations is at stake, courageous decisions are needed," she added.
The passage of this section, which is part of the larger European Green Deal, is a landmark moment for Earth fans, as it aims to make big strides in revamping ecosystems across the coalition of countries.
As the European Commission details, 81% of EU habitats are in poor conservation status. Up to 70% of soils are unhealthy, which could greatly impact agricultural productivity. Wetlands in certain regions have shrunk by 50% since 1970, and over 70% of fish populations have declined.
Among the key objectives included in the law are plans to restore natural rivers, flood plains, and wetlands, which are more effective at absorbing floodwaters than human-made structures.
According to the European Commission, peatlands hold approximately 30% of the global soil carbon, and by restoring more of them, the EU can save up to 25% of its land-based planet-warming pollution.
The European Green Deal also pushes for reforestation by planting 3 billion trees across the area by 2030, helping to restore natural habitats for wildlife and native plants, while also being able to absorb carbon.
The passage sparked fury among many politicians who had opposed it, and Gewessler may face some legal trouble for voting in favor of the environment and change, rather than letting it stall, per the Guardian.
As Pieter de Pous, an analyst at the climate think tank E3G, said in the Guardian article: "No other part of the world has this little nature left, needed this law more and got so close to not having it."
"Today marks a significant day for Europe as we transition from merely protecting and conserving nature to actively restoring it," said Spain's César Luena, who led the European parliament's negotiations on the law, as noted by the Guardian.
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