Defenders' Experts
Global Warming and Wildlife Legislative Priorities
The cost of inaction is great: scientists warn that 20-30% of plant and animal species will be on the brink of extinction if we do not act now to curb global warming.
Take Action to address Global Warming
Global warming poses one of the single greatest threats to wildlife and to the conservation efforts we have undertaken to date.
The impacts of global warming are changing, shrinking and destroying habitat, forcing wildlife to migrate or adapt. In many cases, global warming threatens animals' very existence.
Global warming threatens wildlife and the life-sustaining services that natural systems provide our communities, such as the water we drink, the air we breathe, the medicines we use, the food we eat and the forests and fisheries we depend on.
Defenders of Wildlife supports a two part national policy response to combating global warming and its impacts:
- First, Congress must enact legislation that takes immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address the root cause of climate change.
- Second, this legislation must also include the policy direction and long-term dedicated funding necessary to safeguard wildlife and ecosystems from global warming’s impacts.
With a President and the House and Senate leadership ready to take action, the opportunity has never been greater for climate legislation. Learn how you can help!
Safeguarding Wildlife and Ecosystems in a Warming World
We must act now to increase wildlife’s resiliency in the face of global warming’s complex threats, so wildlife can survive and thrive until the benefits of reductions in global warming emissions take effect. An effective policy response requires three main components:
Strong National and State Plans: Require the development of interagency science-based plans at the federal and state levels to develop the best adaptation tools and strategies and ensure these crosscutting challenges are addressed in a coordinated fashion.
Enhanced Scientific Capacity: Helping wildlife and ecosystems survive climate change will require better data on climate change’s impacts on species and habitats. This will ensure that management decisions are grounded in the best-available science and should build upon the Global Warming & Wildlife Science Center housed at the US Geological Survey.
Dedicated Federal Funding: A significant share of the value of the total emissions allowances generated by any climate legislation should be dedicated to federal, state and tribal natural resources agencies to support natural resource adaptation.
Read Defenders’ report, Beyond Cutting Emissions, which elaborates on how best to conserve wildlife in a warming world and the policy changes we need to implement this new conservation paradigm.Current Climate Change Legislation
The American Clean Energy & Security Act
The House of Representatives has approved comprehensive energy and climate legislation, the American Clean Energy & Security Act 2009 (H.R. 2454).
The bill, introduced by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA), moves America closer to increasing our energy security and tackling global warming and also works to address the impacts of global climate change on wildlife and natural resources.
The bill includes language championed by Representatives Raúl Grijalva, John Dingell, and Norm Dicks that provides safeguards for wildlife and natural resources in a warming world.
Additionally, it provides 1% of revenues from a cap and trade system to domestic natural resource adaptation over the next 10 years and increases the allocation to 4% by 2027.
The funding and language now in the bill will be absolutely critical to protect natural resources for people as well as fish and wildlife in an already warming world. However, significantly more dedicated funding (5% of total allowance value from the bill) will ultimately be needed to address the impacts of global warming on our wildlife and natural resources.
Learn more about the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 [PDF].
The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009
On September 30, 2009 Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733) which outlines a vision for moving America closer to energy independence, clean technologies and a revitalized economy bolstered by millions of new green jobs.
The bill includes language championed by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Max Baucus (D-MT) that provide safeguards for wildlife and natural resources in a warming world.
Like the House-passed bill, it provides 1% of revenues from a cap-and-trade system to domestic natural resource adaptation over the next 10 years and increases the allocation to 4% by 2027. However, this bill differs in that it includes dedicated funding for adaptation, which ensures that all funding will be provided without being subject to further appropriations.
The language in S.1733 will ensure that there is effective federal, state and tribal planning and increased scientific capacity to help safeguard our wildlife and natural resources from the impacts of climate change. And while the current funding is an initial down payment, significantly more dedicated funding will ultimately be needed.
In September more than 600 groups from all 50 states sent a letter to the Senate urging members to pass legislation to safeguard America's natural resources from the negative impacts of global warming that includes 5% dedicated funding from the total allowance value of any climate legislation. These groups included conservation, outdoor, sportsmen, recreation and faith groups that represent tens of millions of individuals from across the country. A corresponding ad in Congress Daily was also published.
On November 5, 2009 the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported S.1733 out of committee.
Learn more about the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009 [PDF].
The Natural Resources Climate Adaptation Act of 2009
On October 27, 2009 Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Natural Resources Climate Adaptation Act (S. 1933) which will protect America’s wildlife and natural resources from the impacts of climate change.
This bill, like the provisions in both S. 1733 and H.R. 2454, will ensure that there is effective federal, state and tribal planning and increased scientific capacity to help safeguard our wildlife and natural resources in a warming world. This bill, while not attached to a direct funding source, sets up a funding mechanism will disperse dedicated funds to specific state and federal agencies to support critical programs that will address the impacts of climate change.
Learn more about the Natural Resources Climate Adaptation Act of 2009 [PDF].
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