Former conifer plantation cleared to allow native regeneration in the Duddon Valley from Harter Fell, Lake District, UK. Photo Credit: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images
Environment FranceClimate Action: Ecosystem Restoration Wins the Vote!
In Strasbourg, France, the European Parliament voted in favor of a bill to restore degraded ecosystems, including CO2-storing peatlands, for the very survival of the environment and the curbing of climate change effects.
In a razor-thin vote – 324 in favor, 312 against, and 12 abstentions – the Nature Restoration Act devoted to greater biodiversity and climate action was approved. It is at the center of the European Union’s (EU) biodiversity strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change to boost environmental protection.
The plan underwent weeks of intense negotiations and faced steadfast opposition. Right after its approval, the plan was adjusted through the voting process on more than 100 amendments that will be negotiated with the member states of the EU over many months. As part of the bill, 30% of all former peatlands currently exploited for agriculture will be restored to their original state and partially shifted to other use by 2030. That proportion will rise to 70% by 2050.
