Attorneys general from 17 states have joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to roll back the Endangered Species Act. Under the proposed rule changes, regulators would be allowed to factor in economic considerations when granting “endangered” status, species classified as “threatened” would see their protections weakened, and scientists would be limited in setting climate change-related protections. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra says collapsing ecosystems show the need to strengthen — not weaken — protections for endangered species.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra: “And these ecosystems are facing unprecedented threat in the form of our climate crisis, habitat loss and a myriad other threats. In fact, in a recent report issued by the United Nations, we learned that 1 million of the Earth’s species are under threat. And just last week, we learned that North America has lost 3 billion birds in the last 50 years. Now is the time to strengthen our planet’s biodiversity, not to destroy it.”