Context: At a ceremony held between the French and Indian governments, India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.
Key points

• India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to join the HAC.
• India’s announcement comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting, hosted by China.

About ‘High Ambition Coalition’ (HAC)

• High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, was initiated at the “One Planet Summit” in Paris in January 2021.
• It is co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and by the United Kingdom as Ocean co-chair.
• High Ambition Coalition (HAC) is a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30×30.
• HAC champions a global deal for nature and people with the central goal of protecting at least 30 percent of world’s land and ocean by 2030.
• The 30×30 target is a global target which aims to halt the accelerating loss of species, and protect vital ecosystems that are the source of our economic security.
• HAC members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south; European, Latin American, Africa and Asia countries are among the members.

Why 30×30?

• In order to address both the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis, there is growing scientific research that half of the planet must be kept in a natural state.
• Despite this, experts agree that a scientifically credible and necessary interim goal is to achieve a minimum of 30% protection by 2030.
• The scientific data help justify the 30×30 target for biodiversity conservation both at a global level and a regional level. 

Significance

• Currently, an estimated 15% of the world’s land and 7% of the ocean are protected.
• In order to achieve the goal of protecting at least 30% by 2030, we’ll need to double the current land protections and more than quadruple current ocean protections.
• This coalition aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 % the of world’s land and ocean by 2030.