Defenders' Experts
Take Action For Global Warming - Make Your Voice Heard
Your voice is needed to ensure our elected officials act now to address the climate change challenge and its impacts to natural resources and wildlife.
- Call, write, or visit your representative and senators, urging them to pass strong climate legislation and address natural resource and wildlife impacts.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to help educate and engage others in your community about global warming and its impacts on wildlife. Read sample letters.
Activism Toolbox
Check out our Community Activism section to defend wildlife in your community and:
• Meet with Elected Officials
• Write a Letter to the Editor
Sample Global Warming Talking Points
- Global warming is one of the greatest and most urgent challenges we face today and will continue for centuries to come because of the emissions already in the atmosphere.
- Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to human communities, wildlife habitat, and the natural resources we depend upon for life-sustaining services, like cleaning our air and water and pollinating crops, and recreational opportunities such as fishing, hunting, boating and hiking.
- Fortunately, there is something we can do about this grave challenge.
- Two steps are needed to address the threat of climate change
(1) reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are triggering climate change and (2) take proactive steps to safeguard natural resources and wildlife threatened by the climate change we have already set in motion. - The good news is the Hosue of Representatives has approved comprehensive energy and climate legislation, the American Clean Energy & Security Act 2009 (H.R. 2454) that does just that.
- The bill will significantly reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and includes 1% of the revenue generated from the cap and trade system to address climate change’s impacts on the natural world.
- While the funding and natural resource adaptation language now in H.R. 2454 is absolutely critical, ultimately, these efforts will need at least 5% in dedicated funding to address the impacts of global warming on our wildlife and natural resources.
- As the Senate moves to address climate change, we need to ensure that their legislation includes 5% in dedicated funding from the total allowance value for safeguarding fish and wildlife, and the natural resources that we all rely on.
- We cannot let future generations down with inaction. Global warming is the greatest threat we face, but it is a challenge we can overcome as long as we begin to act today to address its causes and impacts.
- Global warming is changing, shrinking, and destroying habitat, forcing wildlife to migrate or adapt, or threatening their very existence. In fact, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change warns that without taking strong action to address global warming, 20-30% of the world’s plant and animal species will be at increased risk of extinction by 2050.
- Safeguarding wildlife and natural resources protects human communities and is the foundation for a healthy economy. Increasing natural systems’ resilience is the most cost-effective way to protect the water we drink, the air we breathe, the medicines we use, and the crops we eat. It also protects our coastal communities, and even our outdoor recreational opportunities – which is approximately a $730 billion industry.
- Not only will climate legislation generate jobs in the renewable energy sector, by investing in safeguarding and restoring ecosystems, we can protect our communities’ most valuable assets for generations while creating jobs today.
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