The US House of Representatives voted earlier this month to protect nearly three million acres of public land from mining and other extractive industries. The bill will also “protect wildlife habitat, help maintain air and water quality, store carbon, and safeguard communities against the effects of climate change.” We know that this continent’s wilderness is not an economic asset to be sold and exploited, but a public good that we all have a responsibility to live in harmony with. The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act is a meaningful first step in the fight to protect our communities from the ongoing environmental crisis, and a crucial example of how articulating our campaigns through public goods principles can lead to meaningful, enduring change.
Read more about the bill from Sierra Club