2020 Recap: National Conservation Wins

As we press rewind on the most challenging year in recent memory, it's important to highlight the good news, too. A silver lining in 2020? Across the country, considerable steps were taken toward creating a better future for our planet.

Entering the "Anthropause"

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill early in the year, the abrupt halt in travel and tourism had an almost-instant, positive impact on the natural world. The temporary pause in carbon emissions actually helped to improve air quality in many major cities for a time. Some scientists have described this period of time as the anthropause—a "considerable global slowing of modern human activities." Ecologists and other scientists hope to use data from this period to further understand how humans and animals are coexisting as our daily routines continue to evolve in response to the global pandemic.

Community scientists can help contribute to these efforts by recording their wildlife sightings using apps like iNaturalist that provide open-source data to the global research community.

Great American Outdoors Act Signed into Law

A few landmark environmental bills were signed into law by the federal government this year—a welcome change to years of pervasive rollbacks to many federal protections on our natural resources. On August 8, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law. This bipartisan bill, first introduced by the late congressman John Lewis in 2019, fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund while also providing funding for maintenance projects in national parks. The Great American Outdoors Act has been called "the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century," and its goal—ensuring that a portion of private royalties generated from public resources is used to care for public lands—is a welcome addition to environmental law.

In October, America's Conservation Enhancement Act was also signed into law. This act's provisions include reauthorizations of the following: the Chesapeake Bay Program, at increased funding levels; the National Fish and Wildlife Federation; and the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay Gateways and National Water Trails System programs. America's Conservation Enhancement Act is the most important federal legislation for the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed passed in decades.

Anticipating a National Recommitment to Fighting Climate Change

The significant acceleration of national climate policy is necessary to adequately address the ever-expanding scope and scale of climate change, and President-elect Joe Biden is expected to make climate action a cornerstone of his administration.

In January, America will seek to rejoin the Paris Agreement. Adopted in December 2015 and ratified by nearly every country on the planet, the Paris Agreement seeks to "achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century" by reducing carbon emissions and limiting climate change. Although President Donald Trump is the first and only head of state to withdraw from the agreement, local, state and regional efforts across the U.S. to address climate change have continued over the past four years, including coalitions such as the United States Climate Alliance and We Are Still In.

Along with rejoining the Paris Agreement, Biden has also promised to host a climate summit of world economic leaders within his first 100 days in office and has pledged his commitment to putting the United States on a path to zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Fisheries Receive Support from Activists and Politicians Alike

Bristol Bay, a pristine watershed and crucial marine ecosystem in southwest Alaska, is home to the largest salmon fishery in the world. This beautiful landscape has time and again been threatened by Pebble Mine, a proposed mile-long, mile-wide, open-pit gold and copper mine that was set to destroy over 3,000 acres of undeveloped land and 81 miles of salmon streams.

Collective action from Indigenous and environmental activists—along with a statement in opposition to the project from sportsman Donald Trump, Jr.—resulted in the Army Corps of Engineers once more denying the permit in November, stating that the project was contrary to public interest and not in compliance with the Clean Water Act.

Thousands of miles away from Bristol Bay, the protection of menhaden, a small fish that plays a huge role in its food chain, contributed to a return in humpback whale populations to the coastal waters of New York City. In August, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission unanimously adopted new sustainable management practices to protect menhaden, the second-most caught fish in the country. By setting ecosystem-based catch limits, fisheries can help support both the humans and the animals that depend on this keystone species.

Single-Use Plastic Bans Sweep Cities Across the Country

As we reported in our local conservation wins recap, Baltimore City's Comprehensive Bag Reduction Act was signed into law at the Aquarium in January 2020—what a way to kick off the new year! This year, single-use plastic reduction was a significant focus for many at the federal level, ultimately culminating with the introduction of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. Local reduction laws went into effect in approximately 30 cities across the country—including Denver, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, to name a few. New statewide laws were also passed in New Jersey and Washington, and bag bans in states like Maine and Vermont began earlier this year.

The best is yet to come—stay tuned for our 2020 animal rescue recaps, to be shared before the end of the year!