Support Dedicated Wildlife Funding in Climate Change Legislation
Global warming is the single most urgent threat to the future of wildlife and the natural systems that sustain both wildlife and people. The 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concluded that up to a third of plant and animal species worldwide are likely to be "committed to extinction" by 2050 if we do not take action to manage climate change.
As fish and wildlife are increasingly affected by global warming, bills addressing climate change represent a tremendous opportunity for the wildlife community to achieve the stable funding state wildlife agencies need to implement the wildlife action plans and protect wildlife from global warming. Now is the time to make your voice heard by speaking out in support of the inclusion of wildlife funding as a standard component of any climate change bill!
Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Warner (R-VA) recently introduced global warming legislation that would limit the amount of greenhouse gases and provide significant funding to help protect wildlife from the impacts of global warming. This bill is called America's Climate Security Act. Starting within five years, the bill will reduce global warming pollution from major emitters such as power plants and oil refineries by about two percent each year from current levels. The Climate Security Act will provide an estimated $125 billion through the year 2030 to protect America’s fish and wildlife, great waters, and other natural resources from the climate changes that can no longer be avoided. Funding will be distributed to well established and successful wildlife conservation and natural resource management programs at the federal and state level. This includes funding for implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans. See the bottom of the page for more resources, including fact sheets and analysis of this bill, also called the Lieberman-Warner bill.
Support from Hunters, Anglers and Wildlife Enthusiasts
We’re right in the middle of this debate because last year 375 groups from across the country came together to urge that all global warming bills include wildlife funding. With the leadership of the National Wildlife Federation, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, The Nature Conservancy, The Wildlife Society and others have carried that message to Congress and had great success getting funding for wildlife conservation included in climate change bills with the potential for funding levels ranging from $500 million to as much as a billion dollars per year!
Where does the funding for wildlife come from? A cap and trade system would provide industry with a limited number of emissions credits. For example, one credit would allow an electric company to emit 1 ton of carbon dioxide. Here's where wildlife funding comes in: each year a portion of the credits will be auctioned off to emitters, and some of the auction revenue would be dedicated to wildlife. Because this funding is based on new revenues, it would not increase the federal deficit and would not come at the expense of other federal funding.
Publications, Links and Fact Sheets:
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