President Obama has asked Congress to deliver comprehensive energy legislation that invests in clean energy, creates millions of green jobs, cuts our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, and holds energy companies accountable for reducing global warming pollution.
We can’t afford to wait to invest in better ways to power our future and to protect the planet. But oil companies are fighting back with an all-out advertising campaign to stall progress and keep America’s energy policy stuck in the status quo.
Here are five things you should know about the campaign:
The scare campaign is bankrolled by Big Oil. The oil industry has launched a desperate media blitz attacking President Obama’s energy plan – the same oil companies that made $155 billion in profits in 2007 (far more than the President’s plan to spur clean energy investments would cost).
Our dependency on fossil fuels is stalling America’s economy. We’re already spending more than $400 million every day on foreign oil. If we don’t act now, the Energy Dept. says America’s energy bill will increase by $420 billion annually within the next five years. That amounts to $3,500 every year for every family in the nation.
Clean energy creates jobs. Clean energy solutions are economic solutions. The clean energy and energy efficiency industries in America already employ 3.7 million people, and we’ve only scratched the surface of its potential.
Clean energy delivers better energy choices. The more we invest in technologies that harness renewable energy and use energy more efficiently, the cheaper these technologies become. Renewable technologies are following a “learning curve” similar to computers and other modern technologies that get cheaper and more powerful as manufacturers innovate. For example, the cost of solar technologies has been reduced by 90% in the last two decades.
Investing in a clean energy future is the only affordable path for America. According to a detailed technology analysis by McKinsey & Company, the United States can reduce global warming pollution by 30% through investments that, in their entirety, save as much money through lower energy bills as they cost. And let’s not ignore the rising cost of inaction. Electric power companies right now are trying to raise electricity rates across the country because of the high cost of coal – for example, as much as a 50% increase over the next three years for parts of Ohio, West Virginia and the Midwest.
We need new energy policies to spur investment at the scale needed to break our dependency on fossil fuels. At the heart of any energy plan, we must hold energy companies accountable to limit and reduce their global warming pollution. Most global warming pollution comes from oil and coal. Placing enforceable limits on global warming pollution will immediately drive private investment in renewable energy technologies as well as efficient technologies that use energy smarter. Please take a moment right now to tell Congress to pass strong climate & energy legislation in 2009!
This week, Congress is discussing the budget resolution, which if passed will provide resources to support programs that protect our air, water, oceans, land and wildlife.
In addition to providing resources that support these programs important for the public health of our communities and the natural heritage of our nation, the budget resolution also includes the tools to make critical new investments in clean energy andsets the stage for the strong climate and energy legislation needed this year to cap the carbon pollution that causes global warming.
Clean energy investments will help to jumpstart America's economy and safeguard our natural resources, which is why it's important for Congress to make resources to support these new investments a priority.
With Congress scheduled to cast their final vote on the federal budget this week, please take a moment today to let your senators and representatives know that you're counting on them to pass a budget that stands strong for people and wildlife.
Thanks to the tens of thousands of messages many of you helped get to our legislators over the past few weeks, last week Congress passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which the President will sign into law this afternoon.
This historic plan to protect America's public lands provides the largest expansion of wilderness in fifteen years!
The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act will conserve critical public lands and waters, which provide important wildlife habitats and innumerable recreational opportunities for America's outdoor enthusiasts.
Specifically, the Act will secure wilderness designation for more than two million acres of public lands, protect thousands of miles of rushing rivers and establish a 26 million acre conservation system -- the first new system of conservation lands in the United States in more than 50 years.
Congratulations everyone and thanks so much for all you've done to help achieve this historic victory for your public lands!
To learn more about the National Wildlife Federation's efforts to protect and restore public lands, check out ourpubliclands.org
Here's another clip from Wednesday's House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on climate change adaptation. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) had an odd exchange with British aristocrat and famed global warming denier Lord Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley:
Their basic argument was this: Plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis ... so if we limit our man-made carbon dioxide emissions, won't we kill all the plants?
Do Shimkus and Monckton think plants only came along after humans learned how to start burning fossil fuels? In reality, it's quite the opposite -- since we started getting really good at burning carbon-based fossil fuels, forests have started getting really good at catching fire.
And to back up all this nonsense about global warming pollution being great for plants, they cite the Cambrian period? A time when there were no land plants? That's your shining example? Come on. Lord Monckton may be the darling of the denier crowd, but he wouldn't stand a chance on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"
One other note about the Cambrian -- sea levels were 30 to 90 meters higher than they are today. Not exactly a comforting reference at a hearing about the possible impacts of climate change.
To listen to Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), you'd think adapting to global warming is as easy as taking off your jacket on an unexpectedly pleasant spring day.
"Adaptation to shifts in temperatures is not that difficult," declared Rep. Barton at yesterday's hearing on climate change adaptation before the House Energy & Commerce Committee:
"Adapting is a common, natural way for people to ... to adapt to their environment," Barton continued, briefly channeling Austin Powers.
"When it rains, we find shelter. When it's hot, we get in the shade. When it's cold, we find a warm place to stay." What does Miami (6 feet above sea level) do if sea levels rise 6.5 feet as new models suggest is possible? Rep. Barton doesn't say.
My favorite part of Barton's ramble: His wondrous musings about how people in England grew grapes! Way back when in the Middle Ages during a dubious "warm period" global warming deniers like to trot out. Ah, those were the days. I like to sit back and think about what it must've been like while drinking a nice glass of English Seyval Blanc.
But where Rep. Barton crosses from comical to forehead-slappingly wrong is when he calls adaptation "affordable." A top economist and climate change expert recently estimated the transition to a low-carbon, efficient economy will cost only one percent of gross world product (GWP). By comparison, Lord Nicholas Stern said inaction could ultimately cost us as much as 30 percent of GWP. (In 2007, GWP was estimated at $54.62 trillion.)
Rep. Barton's final head-scratcher comes when he claims, "Nature doesn't seem to adjust to people as much as people adjust to nature." Tell that to the dodo.
To learn more about why it's so critical that we seriously consider how to adapt to the impacts of climate change we're already seeing, read this post on NWF President & CEO Larry Schweiger's testimony at the same hearing.
It is my personal belief that social media can play a huge role in helping protect wildlife. Being a part of the information age is incredible and overwhelming at times, but I can't help but be optimistic that we are in a better place than ever before to save wildlife.Why?
1. There are countless educational resources at your finger tips. The flow of information is phenomenal on the web. While it is always good to get your news from a number of sources, I think more now than ever it's important to be authentic or your false message will be exposed. That being said, organizations like the National Wildlife Federation can spread important wildlife information and offer up
fantastic resources for people interested in making less of an impact on the earth. Through social media sites that focus on news like Mixx, Digg and Reddit, we can share upcoming news and help push out correct information.
2. Taking action has never been easier. Wildlife conservation depends greatly on policy changes. Luckily, the ways for people to take action have increased and communicating with your representative has never been easier. Whether you're writing a handwritten letter or writing an email, the internet is helping to spread the word about all kinds of wildlife issues like never before. NWF also sees great engagement coming from sites likeChange.organd Care2.com. Social media is a great way to help organize movements, enact change for wildlife and influence decision makers. Take Action for Wildlife Join NWF's community for Action Takers
3. Nature photography and art can be shared with a simple click. I wrote a recent article on Green Upgrader that talked about the importance of art in the environmental movement. It helps keep the importance and beauty of our earth in the hearts and minds of people. There is so much potential with sites like Flickr to share the beauty and wonder of nature!
4. New ideas and concepts have a place to be discussed and critiqued. When it comes to ideas, concepts, designs and other such things, the conservation movement is benefiting greatly from social media because the communication easily crosses continents and borders. Through social media, creative minds are coming together, ideas are being shared and people .
5. Nature can be found easier- therefore protected and enjoyed.
When people socialize it's not all just fun and games. But sometimes it is. NWF's Green Hour program works hard to connect people to nature and encourages them to Be Out There. Well, with social media and online resources, spreading information such as NatureFind is much easier and more efficient.
6. You can donate to (and fundraise for) causes more efficiently. While emails and web ads asking for donations can get slightly irritating, the more we can decrease our sending donation asks through the mail the better. It is much easier to donate/fundraise for causes you care about on the web and it cuts back on resources and leaves the water and trees for wildlife. In some cases, like the toolbar that Freecause offers or search engine by Good Search can also offer unique ways for people to "donate". Donate to NWF NWF's FreeCause Toolbar Goodsearch Click to Donate to the Rainforest Site
7. Data Collection: The data we collect on wildlife specimens is incredibly important and needs to be accurate. Using the social web and communication tools we can efficiently update databases through online databases and cut back on the time that passes before information is collected. Also--it's useful to house the data with online tools so that it is accessible to other scientists in the field.
8. Quick Response: With social sites such as Twitter, we can know more about our surroundings quicker with more time to react. We've seen people using Twitter update others on bushfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Well with tools like this we can really make efforts to correct and help save wildlife by being able to respond quickly.
9. It has really helped identify community leaders and volunteers. With the help of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, I have had the pleasure of getting to know some of our most impressive activists. Social sites are a great place to collaborate and it especially helps organizations get to know some incredible organizers. North Carolina Wildlife Federation's Ning Site Moorehead Community Habitat Team ...to name just a few!
Now, I know there are many other ways to help-- so I'm ready to hear your ideas! At the very least these are a few broad ways that social media is helping. And I think when used responsibly -- the online world can really help us reach out and connect-- all while making a difference for wildlife!
National Wildlife Federation President & CEO Larry Schweiger testified today before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment on the urgent need for climate and energy legislation that includes large-scale dedicated funding to protect and restore wildlife and natural resources threatened by global warming.
Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) kicked off the hearing with some remarks of his own, saying, "If the United States and the world are going to successfully combat climate change, mitigation - the act of reducing greenhouse gas emissions - will not be enough. Our country and other nations must also implement adaptation policies to respond to changes in our climate, in our ecosystems and in our infrastructure."
Larry drove the message home in his testimony, pointing out that "Congress must use the revenue from a carbon cap program to carry out a program that is 'clean, green and fair.' Clean, because we must invest in clean energy technologies. Green, because we must provide large-scale dedicated funding to protect our nation's wildlife and other natural resources from climate change. Fair, because we must protect consumers and help those who are most vulnerable around the world."
Tom Karl of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, John Stephenson of the Government Accountability Office, and Bishop Callon Holloway of the National Council of Churches joined Larry as witnesses before the subcommittee, testifying on what is being done, and what else needs to be done to help safeguard the people, wildlife and natural resources threatened by global warming.
You can read the full text of Larry's testimony here!
Spring is finally here – and the Be Out There campaign has teamed up with the non-profit KaBOOM! to find 100,000 Playspaces in 100 Days – and you can earn money for National Wildlife Federation by helping out!
KaBOOM already has thousands of playgrounds, parks and other “playspaces” mapped on their online Playspace Finder, but they are looking for 100,000 more to be added during the next 100 days.
Here's the kicker: For every valid playspace you enter on the KaBOOM! website, $1 will be donated to NWF. And if NWF generates the most playspaces, we win an additional $20,000!
You can easily turn this challenge into a Green Hour -- grab your camera, head outside and snap some photos of parks, playgrounds, trails and other "playspaces" in your neighborhood. Afterward, go home, turn on your computer and visit kaboom.org/nwf. Join our team and start entering the information and uploading the photos into the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder.
You might be asking, how does this help wildlife? Each dollar you raise supports NWF's programs -- but, in addition, the Playspace Finder is yet another tool to make it easy for parents and caregivers to go outside with their kids.
Anything that fights the reign of an indoor childhood (where video games, TV, cell phones rule the day) is ultimately good for our mission of connecting people with nature. Also, research shows that early outdoor experiences foster a strong conservation ethic and concern for the natural world.
The more playspaces you enter, the more money goes to NWF!
FAQs:
Q: How can I earn $1 per playspace entry for my team or teams? A: A listing that contains the following: a valid playspace (see below), an address or cross streets, a description, 1 photo and 1 rating. If you are completing an existing listing, then you must add at least 1 photo even if the listing already has a photo. We will not award credit for any duplicate listings.
Q: What is the definition of a playspace? A: A playspace can be a field, skatepark, horseshoe pit, roller hockey rink, disc-golf course, playground, lake, dog park, community center, basketball court or ice rink -- any public place where anyone can engage in unstructured play either for free or for a nominal fee.
Q: What might be rejected by KaBOOM! as not a valid playspace for the 100,000 in 100 days challenge? A: An amusement park, a golf course, a gated childcare center, or a backyard play set would not qualify. If there is more than a nominal fee for usage of the playspace, or the playspace is located on private property, it will likely be rejected.
We can’t afford to wait to invest in better ways to power our future and to protect the planet. But oil companies are fighting back with an all-out advertising campaign to stall progress and keep America’s energy policy stuck in the status quo. 
