Defenders of Wildlife Highlights Impacts of Global Warming on Wildlife, Offers Solutions in Testimony before Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Statement of Jamie Rappaport Clark, Executive Vice President, Defenders of Wildlife

(02/06/2007) - Washington D.C. -- "The hearing before Senator Lieberman’s subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will shed light on one of the most important conservation issues we face today—the impact of global warming on wildlife. It is no exaggeration to say that all of the work that is being done to conserve wildlife and its habitat, in North America and around the globe, is put at risk by the potential consequences to wildlife of global warming.

"There is no longer any scientific debate. We are causing global warming and it is past time that we do something about it. Even if we act now, as we must, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, wildlife will continue to feel the effects of global warming for at least the next 100 years. Consequently, our national strategy for combating global warming must consist of two parts. First, we must take immediate and mandatory steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address the root cause of global warming. Second, we must also craft mechanisms now to help wildlife navigate the looming bottleneck of complex threats caused by global warming. Those mechanisms include a coordinated government-wide response to global warming, building more robust scientific inventory and monitoring programs for wildlife on our federal lands, reducing other threats so that wildlife will be better able to withstand the changes brought on by global warming, and providing funding to address global warming’s impact on wildlife.

"As Congress develops legislation to cap greenhouse gas emissions, it is likely to create a system of emissions credits that can be traded. In the process, there is an opportunity to auction these credits, producing substantial revenue for the federal Treasury. A portion of that revenue should be dedicated to programs to offset the impacts of global warming on wildlife, particularly federal agency efforts to protect wildlife and wildlife habitat in the face of global warming.

"Without taking these important steps, our nation’s wildlife faces an uncertain future. Even today, we see the detrimental effect global warming is having on some species. Polar bears have become the poster species for global warming. Adult and young polar bears have starved and drowned due to a lack of food and disappearing habitat. Caribou are departing their wintering grounds a month earlier and are still having trouble making it to the coastal plain of the Arctic refuge in time for spring, when the most nutritious forage is available for their calves. Islands used by the endangered Hawaiian monk seal could be completely underwater by the century’s end. The effect of global warming is not always as dramatic as this, but the consequences are just as devastating."

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Defenders of Wildlife is recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 500,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.

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Contact(s):

Cindy Hoffman, (202) 772-3255
Joe Vickless, (202) 772-0237