Did you know that the US loses the equivalent of a football field-sized portion of natural land area every 30 seconds due to expanding human development?

A study done by the Center for American Progress (CAP) reported that from 2001-2017, 24 million acres of natural land area have been lost in the contiguous United States as a result of human development. The South and the Midwest have seen the most drastic impact from the human footprint through housing development, agriculture growth, road construction, and power plant installation. Infrastructure in these regions has grown to cover 47 percent and 59 percent of the total land area, respectively.

The CAP also reported that by 2050, we will lose additional natural land equivalent to South Dakota’s size if this development trend continues.

“The losses documented pose a direct threat to the nation’s clean air and clean drinking water supplies, the prosperity of its communities, and its ability to protect itself from severe weather, floods, wildfires, and other effects of a changing climate. Moreover, climate change is itself accelerating the decline of nature in America. As human development constricts America’s remaining natural areas, rising concentrations of greenhouse gases are deforming ecosystems, poisoning the oceans, and rendering the American landscape unlivable for many plant and animal species.”

– How Much Nature Should America Keep?, CAP