NWF has just released a new report (pdf) called Climate Change and Great Lakes Water Resources.  According to the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Coalition: 

A considerable portion of the report by Noah D. Hall, professor of law at Wayne State University and Bret B. Stuntz a Michigan attorney and geologist, focuses on a quickly shrinking ice cap in the Rockies and the melting of Greenland and the polar caps. These simultaneous events will significantly deplete the available fresh water.

In case you weren't already aware, coal is over.

Delegates from around the world will meet in Bali next week, to begin negotiations on a successor agreement to the Kyoto protocol.  In advance, over 150 global business leaders have signed the Bali Communique, which calls for:

            
• a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change
            
• emission reduction targets to be guided primarily by science
            
• those countries that have already industrialised to make the greatest effort
            
• world leaders to seize the window of opportunity and agree a work plan of negotiations to ensure an agreement can come into force post 2012 (when the existing Kyoto Protocol expires)

The Bali negotiations even have their own theme song.

Japan and China have just reached an agreement under which Japan will offer technical assistance to China in their efforts to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Naomi Klein explains how guns are beating green on Wall Street.

Bernies Sanders:  Global Warming is Reversible:

As the nation at last confronts global warming, it is no time for denial, greed, cynicism or pessimism. It is a time for vision and international leadership. It is a time for transforming our energy system from the polluting and carbon-emitting technologies of the nineteenth century into the unlimited and extraordinary energy possibilities of the twenty-first. When we do that we will not only solve the global warming crisis; we will open up unimaginable opportunities for improving life all over the planet.

A new assessment from Mckinsey and Company, a leading management consulting firm, details more than 250 measures which would get us close to where we need to be in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  The NRDC Switchboard has more.

Quick Hits

Study Details How US Could CUt 28% of GHGs

When Biofuel is Bad for the Environment

EPA Concerns Slow Fuel Economy Talks

EPA Notifies BP of Major Clean Air Violations

Skyrocketing Use of Off-Highway Vehicles has Officials Scrambling to Protect Public Land from Overuse

Everglades Stagnation

RFK Jr:  Off the Cuff

Green School

What are you reading today?

According to the Daily Green, "there are more birders than Baptists". With one in six Americans assumed to be a bird lover, birds have got a serious fan club. Like all wildlife, birds are susceptible to changes in the environment such as habitat loss, global warming and invasive species.  However, our flying friends are imperiled to the point that one in four birds in America is on Audubon's WatchList.

Global warming is also changing the migratory patterns of birds. Take a gander at this state map to see if your state bird is flying the coop.

Want to help our feathered friends? Here's a list of things you can do:

• Make your backyard a suitable place for wildlife to live and then get your yard certified.

• Buy shade-grown, organic coffee and chocolate.

• Take action and protect ducks.

• Participate in the The Great Backyard Bird Count.

(Photo of a Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), the State bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming © Rod Planck / Photo Researchers, Inc.)      

Oil Spill...Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: With the Cosco Busan Oil spill to clean up, the San Francisco Bay volunteers have been using a not-so-technical solution. In fact, the clean up strategy is completely organic. That's right, a combination of hair and mushrooms has been the preferred tactic in sopping up this wildlife hazard. Mats of human hair provided by Lisa Gautier, who runs the non-profit Matter of Trust, are working as sponges to absorb the oil. Oyster mushrooms are then placed on the mats and as they grow, they soak up the oil. Read the article and check out what the ecogeek and inhabitant blogs have to say about this inventive and eco-friendly technique. Make sure to watch the YouTube video too!

Google's Turning Over a Green Leaf: Google is a large culprit for energy consumption but they are looking to be more energy efficient. They plan on expanding their alternative energy usage by designating hundreds of millions of dollars toward the cause (they might outspend the government!). They plan to start with solar thermal and wind energy. Read how Google plans to invest in energy solutions from the Wired Magazine.

• The Human Development Report was released today, invoking warnings that greenhouse gas emissions must be stabilized by 2015.

  Floods, droughts and other climate disasters will rob millions of children of the decent meals and schools they need unless rich nations pony up $86 billion by 2015 to help the poor adapt to global warming, an expert panel warned Tuesday. The U.S. government needs to cover $40 billion of that spending, which will "strengthen the capacity of vulnerable people" to cope with climate-related risks, according to the report commissioned by the U.N. Development Program.



• Orange County officials in California have a novel idea for dealing with the shortage of adequate drinking water.


• Environmental guru Emil Salim predicted new global attitudes toward global warming Monday.

  "I am convinced that we are going to have a new regime to address the global warming issue on the back of Australia's election results and the anticipated changes on the U.S. political stage," said Emil, speaking at a training session by held by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD).



• A company called Skyonic has developed a way to combine greenhouse gas emissions with sodium hydroxide to turn it into baking soda.


• A new research project has begun which could develop global warming resistant crops.

  The five-year study should lead to a greater understanding of how warmer winters and summers, and the changing lengths of seasons, impact on crop yields. The £6 million initiative, being lead by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, will also look into how climate change affects forests, woodlands, heaths and moors.



• Texas Instruments India has developed technology which can drastically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of industrial and commercial buildings.


• The Seattle Times has a great article about NWF employee Patty Glick and our Gardener's Guide to Global Warming.


• The Salem, Oregon Statesmen Journal explains how climate change makes life easier for invasive species, and more difficult for natives.

  As new species move into Oregon, native species less able to adapt and other Oregon species move north to find a more familiar climate in which to live. Scientists worry about timing within natural systems being thrown off. For example, scientists have studied an alpine flower species blooming three to four weeks earlier than in the past -- timing that completely misses the humming birds that arrive to pollinate them.



• Time Magazine has a solid piece on the changing climate on climate change on capitol hill.

  You can tell when the politicians are getting serious about an issue: they stop taking cheap shots at one another and suddenly become pragmatic. Amazingly, that's happening right now on global warming.



• Al Gore visited President Bush in the White House yesterday.  "Of course, we talked about global warming — the whole time," Mr. Gore said afterward.

See anything interesting today?

As you gobble down your Thanksgiving feast, here are a few turkey tidbits for the dinner table conversation...

Wild Turkey Facts:

• The wild turkey was a contender for America's national symbol, but lost out to the bald eagle.

• Wild turkeys are native to North America. Populations plummeted after European colonization as a result of over-hunting and habitat loss. Due to strong conservation and reintroduction programs, however, the population has recovered and is growing.

• Male turkeys are called "toms" and females "hens."  Baby turkeys are called "poults."

• Wild turkeys feed on seeds, berries, fruits, shoots, buds and nuts. They also eat insects and other invertebrates and even reptiles and amphibians.

• Click here to hear the call of the wild turkey.

• Wild turkeys live in groups and have a dominance-based "pecking order."  Those that live in suburbia recognize people and react to them as if they were other turkeys, which can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance.

• Wild turkeys were an important food source for American Indians and were most likely part of the first Thanksgiving feast along with other native foods such as corn, squash, fish and venison.

• This Thanksgiving consider serving a heritage breed turkey and help keep traditional turkey breeds in existence. Heritage turkeys are typically pasture-raised and live better lives than animals confined in mass-producing industrial farms. This method is also better for the surrounding environment.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Check it out and comment!

NWF Campus Field Director Lisa Madry just emailed around a great recap of Power Shift 2007 that I had to share...

It was amazing to have the opportunity to experience the energy of 6,000 students converging at the University of Maryland at Power Shift 2007 to demand action on global warming--but even better has been to see the ripples that are spreading.

For those that couldn't experience it firsthand, the NWF Campus Ecology staff wants to share some of the great stories and images that are emerging. When you need a shot in the arm, just click on one of these links for some inspiration...

Immediate Impact

Power Shift made some folks awfully nervous--the right wing attack machine was brought out in full force:

• Rush Limbaugh attacked NWF's own Charlie Lockwood, a student leader from the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA). She gave an incredibly powerful and courageous testimony before the House Select Committee on Energy and Climate Action on his radio show.

• And poor Pat Buchanan never knew what hit him when the Energy Action Coalition's Co-Director Jessy Tolkan came out swinging on Hardball

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Ed Markey, Chair of the House Select Committee on Energy and Climate Action addressed students and responded positively to chants of, "We want more!" (as in stronger climate action). In a follow up letter to Power Shift, Speaker Pelosi pledged, "Combating climate change and working toward energy independence are flagship issues for my Speakership and top priorities of this Congress."

News Highlights
(For a full media round up, check out the Power Shift newsroom.)

• Discovery and MTV - aired video clips highlighting the energy of the lobby day, which many say was the largest yet on climate change--more than 2,000 students visited Members of Congress.

• NPR - An article dismantling Thomas Freidman's concern that this is "The Quiet Generation."

• Time magazine online - An article quoting Jesse Tolkan: "For the Millennials, climate change is emerging as the defining issue of their time, just as civil rights or Vietnam might have been for the generation before. 'This is a new generation that sees itself at the forefront of a great movement, just like the greatest movements of the past,' says Tolkan."

• Grist - "They've Got the Power"

• It's Getting Hot in Here - a youth climate blog has loads of dispatches.

• Wildlife Promise - NWF's invited people to send messages to students attending Power Shift, and got great comments from people "passing the torch" from one generation to another.

Pictures and Video

Hundreds of pictures have already been uploaded to FlickR with the "Powershift07" tag. Also, the "I Shot Power Shift" project put video cameras in the hands of more than 100 students and the footage is just starting to come in. They include:

• The "Green Jobs Not Jails" rally cry was one of the most powerful of the weekend. This "Green for All" video captures some of the incredible diversity of Power Shift and you can't help but get excited about the future by watching Van Jones who lit up crowd each time he spoke.

• And former NWF Campus Ecology Fellow Summer Rayne Oakes put together the coolest video called "We Are One" featuring the Faces of Power Shift.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of Power Shift 2007!

If the Final 50 members of the House of Representatives endorse the Safe Climate Act or the Climate Stewardship Act, we'll surpass 218--enough to pass a bill in the House that cuts global warming pollution by 2% per year.

Today, the National Wildlife Federation placed an ad in Roll Call listing the Final 50 and explaining the campaign.  The other side of the ad thanks the 170 current cosponsors of strong global warming legislation in the House.

How did we choose the Final 50?

Each of these representatives have supported some solutions to global warming--but they have yet to endorse a bill that measures up to the challenge. For example, many of the Final 50 supported the recent Energy Bill, which is an important step to start reducing global warming pollution. However, Congress needs to build on this with a complete solution that finishes the job. We urgently need legislation that reduces global warming pollution in the U.S. by 2% each year till mid-century. Firm limits for reducing pollution will inspire investments in new technology, promote new green jobs and protect wildlife from the impacts of global warming.

The Final 50 can make this happen!

The Final 50:  Go to www.final50.org to see the profiles and take action.

Jason Altmire
Joe Baca
John Barrow
Melissa Bean
Judy Biggert
Mary Bono
Ginny Brown-Waite
Vern Buchanan
Jim Cooper
Tom Davis
Charles Dent
Joe Donnelly
Mike Ferguson
Vito Fossella
Rodney Frelinghuysen
Jim Gerlach
Gabrielle Giffords
Charles Gonzalez
Bart Gordon
Tim Holden
Darlene Hooley
Bob Inglis
Tim Johnson
Marcy Kaptur
Dale Kildee
Carolyn Kilpatrick
Peter King
Tim Mahoney
John McHugh
John Murtha
James Oberstar
Collin Peterson
Tom Petri
Todd Platts
Ciro Rodriguez
Mike Ross
John Salazar
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
David Scott
Chris Smith
Vic Snyder
Zack Space
John Spratt
Bart Stupak
Betty Sutton
Tom Udall
Fred Upton
Melvin Watt
Heather Wilson
Frank Wolf

With your help we can make strong global warming legislation a reality.

There has been some confusion lately over where the environmental community stands on America's Climate Security Act of 2007. To clarify, here are two letters which should provide a better understanding of where the National Wildlife Federation stands. The first is from NWF President and CEO Larry Schweiger.  It was originally addressed to NWF board members, staff and supporters, but it seems appropriate here.

When I returned to National Wildlife Federation three years ago, we were all alarmed by what was happening around us.  The conservation movement was mired in scores of defensive battles to prevent rollback of the bedrock laws that have protected our wildlife and our environment. As we were fighting those important battles, the greatest single threat to wildlife and our children’s future was being ignored and neglected by politicians everywhere. 

That issue is global warming.  Scientists’ warnings - and the warning signs we began to witness in the natural world - were being ignored by politicians and the media.  Global warming still had the baggage of multi-million dollar misinformation campaigns from oil companies and other polluters  that were casting this as a partisan issue. 

There are some who will question our support of the Lieberman-Warner bill until we get all the changes we would want to make it a perfect bill.  I welcome the questioning because it means that the dialogue about global warming has risen to a new level.  People are angry that we have gone so long without acting.  They should be.  I am angry too.

However, we also need to listen carefully to what scientists are telling us about solving this problem.  We are facing a planetary crisis with a firm deadline and there is no time for delay.  Every day we wait, the risks grow and action becomes more difficult.  Why?  Our emissions are going up when they need to be going down.  According to the Bush Administration, our emissions of greenhouse gases in the United States will actually increase by one-third by the year 2030 if we don’t turn things around fast. 

Scientists are warning us that we must act within the next few years to cut our emissions by two percent every year.  We need to hit that pivot point - the time when our emissions go down instead of up, as soon as possible. We need strong legislation that reduces global warming pollution and we need it now. 

That’s why I am optimistic about America’s Climate Security Act.  Unlike past votes in Congress for measures that would have merely stopped emissions from growing, this bill actually puts us quickly on the downward trajectory of cutting emissions from large emitters by two percent per year from current levels.   And, it is the first bill to include all large emitters, not just power plants.

What’s more, this is the first legislation with specific measures to address impacts on consumers, particularly low- and middle-income families.  The bill devotes an estimated $350 billion through the year 2030 from polluter payments to help consumers reduce their energy consumption through efficiency.  We need to make sure legislation does not put the burden on those least able to carry it.  And we need to make sure that everyone has access to the economic opportunity created by this clean energy revolution.

The bill also includes essential provisions for protecting America’s fish and wildlife, great waters, and other natural resources from the climate changes that can no longer be avoided.  Healthy wetlands and other habitat are critical for wildlife and serve to protect our communities from the impacts of storms, droughts and other climate extremes brought on by global warming.  A rapidly changing climate is adding additional pressures to ecosystems already stressed by development, pollution and invasive species.   The Lieberman-Warner bill requires polluters to pay into a fund that devotes more than $160 billion through the year 2030 to protecting wildlife and America’s great waters.

Despite the many benefits of this bill, National Wildlife Federation has been seeking improvements. Some we have achieved, such as stronger goals in the coming fifteen years for reducing pollution.  We must get moving quickly, and not postpone the heavy lifting decades into the future.

National Wildlife Federation has fought hard for many of the strongest pieces of the bill and worked with the sponsors to improve this bill at each stage of the process.  And we have done it by building support and encouraging leaders like Senators Lieberman and Warner to step forward. 

I am convinced that we will not meet the urgency of the climate crisis if we allow criticism to block progress.  We must focus on what unites us and not on what divides us.  By acting now we can re-adjust our aim as we go forward.  It is easier to turn the wheel of a car that is rolling than one that is sitting still.  Movement begets movement.

Additionally, getting a Senate vote on a substantive global warming bill will help raise the profile of the issue nationally as voters turn their attention to what candidates are saying about global warming.  As long as there is no action on global warming, it is very difficult to tell where candidates stand on this issue.  The climate crisis must become one of the top tier issues for Americans in this presidential campaign.

Read the full letter here.

The second,  is from seven environmental groups, to the Members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  The seven groups signed onto the letter are:  National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, National Environmental Trust, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, Union of Concerned Scientists and The Wilderness Society.  This letter shows the strong support the bill has.

Dear Members of the Environment and Public Works Committee,

We are writing to highlight the mounting urgency of action on global warming and encourage prompt action by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warns that the global buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has accelerated unexpectedly rapidly in this decade. Similarly, recent evidence from the Arctic demonstrates that the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere are changing our climate far more rapidly than scientists have predicted.

These and other findings underscore the need for prompt action to reduce the pollution that is causing global warming. Time is running out for effective action, and we need to get started now. The Department of Energy is forecasting that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will increase by more than 30% by 2030 without action. The longer we delay action, the greater the impacts and risks, and the more dramatically we will have to cut emissions in future years to achieve the same results.

Consequently, we applaud Senators Lieberman and Warner for their leadership and the subcommittee for debating S. 2191 with the goal of reporting a bill to the full committee. We further applaud Chairman Boxer for seeking to expeditiously report a bill out of the full committee this fall. We would also like to thank Senator Baucus for his expressed support of S. 2191.

We acknowledge and thank the sponsors for making important improvements in the bill from their August outline. We also thank Senators Sanders and Lautenberg and other members of the subcommittee and committee who are working to strengthen the bill as it moves through the process.

It is vitally important that the Senate have a full and open debate on global warming action. We therefore ask all members of the Environment and Public Works Committee and its subcommittee of jurisdiction to work together to deliver a strong, bipartisan bill to the full Senate this year.

Read the full letter here.

The shift of power begins this weekend as more than 5,000 college students from every state in the U.S. unite to discuss global warming. Power Shift 2007 is the first and largest youth climate summit in history. National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology program is providing students with workshops that will help organize support on campus.  NWF staff will also have a booth there to talk about programs students can engage in.


Looking for more information?
Find out more on www.powershift2007.org. Also check out what NWF's Campus Ecology is up to and read the Gristmill's take on the weekend.