Center for Biological Diversity
Pop X
No. 70, Sept. 24, 2016
Do Something Important for Public Lands Day

Center for Biological Diversity staff

Today is National Public Lands Day. It's a good day to get out there and appreciate these national treasures, free of charge. But I'm going to ask you to take it one step further.

Even as we celebrate these wild places that are so important to countless wild creatures, clean air and water, and that create the incredible spaces that make this country great, they remain under attack by special interests. As we honor our public lands, the Standing Rock Sioux and more than 150 other American Indian nations are fighting to stop the Dakota Access pipeline, an unnecessary project that would carry nearly 19 million gallons of dirty oil per day through indigenous lands, sacred sites and fragile wildlife habitat.

The Center for Biological Diversity staff stands with the Standing Rock tribe. The pipeline will worsen global warming; desecrate sacred lands essential to the Sioux Nation's history, culture and identity; and threaten the water supply of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. In the United States and globally, indigenous people disproportionately suffer the land-, air- and water-pollution costs of oil, gas, coal and uranium mining and transportation. This has to end.

Join us in sharing your support on social media and signing the letter urging President Obama to use his power to stop the bulldozers.

For the wild,
Stephanie Feldstein Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
P.S. Today's world population is: 7,459,555,332. We can still save room for wildlife -- spread the word and share the newsletter below.

Paving Paradise to Put Up a Power Plant

Natural gas fieldWe know that urban growth and expanding suburbs are crowding out wildlife at alarming rates and that habitat's getting eaten up by industrial agriculture across the country, but a new study released this week points to another source of the loss of open spaces: energy sprawl.

As we humans get more numerous and our energy needs grow, the infrastructure that brings us power is growing as well. That's where energy sprawl comes in. The researchers behind the study found that, from 2007 to 2011 with the oil and gas boom, we gobbled up a land mass greater than the state of Maine (even more if you count the effects on landscapes) for new energy infrastructure.

That's a whole lot of land -- and the effects are only expected to increase over the next 25 years. Perhaps one of the more frustrating results of the study is that this land use is expected to come from fossil fuels, as well as renewable energy.

But it doesn't have to be that way. We can rein in sprawl by conserving energy and reducing waste, as well as by developing energy closer to the source (on rooftops and parking lots, for instance). Learn more about energy solutions that don't threaten important wildlife habitats or destroy our last remaining wide-open spaces.

 
 
Crowded Planet vlog still Cheese factory creating unnecessary cheese
Video: Meaty Misconceptions

Study after study has shown that we have to eat less meat if we're going to protect biodiversity and fight climate change. But that's easier said than done, right? Well, no. Adopting a more Earth-friendly diet is something anyone can do, starting today. In our latest Crowded Planet vlog, the Center's Leigh Moyer tackles five of the most common misconceptions about reducing your meat consumption. Watch the video to find out how eating to protect the planet is easier than you may think, then help spread the word by sharing it on social media.

Big Cheese Bailout

The nation's cheese surplus is at its highest level in 30 years, but rather than the dairy industry having to scale back production in response to the market, as most other industries would, Big Cheese is getting a government bailout to the tune of 20 million taxpayer dollars. All this excess production means excess pollution: American dairy production creates nearly 95 billion pounds of greenhouse gas and 76 billion pounds of manure every year. Read more about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cheesy deal, and learn about the effects of dairy production with our newest Extinction Facts label.

 
Put Sustainability on the National Parks Menu -- Take Action
Allegheny National Park Unappetizing hamburger and fries Vegetarian meal
Millions of Meals

From Acadia to Yellowstone, the National Park Service is one of the largest food purchasers in the federal government, serving more than 23.5 million meals every year.

Healthy Food Healthy Parks

The Service has taken steps to make its restaurants more sustainable, but many still lack meat-free options, and there are no standards to prevent food waste.

Ask the Service to protect wildlife and the future of our parks by reducing meat and dairy purchasing and creating food-waste standards.

 
 
United Nations Ignores Global Contraceptive Crisis -- Sign the Petition

CondomsWhile world leaders gather this week at the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the future of the Sustainable Development Goals, a key factor continues to be ignored: the availability of contraceptives. There are indications of a funding gap of around $847 million for providing contraceptives to low- and middle-income countries between now and 2020. When the need for contraception is not met, women face greater gender inequality, teens are more likely to get pregnant, and babies are more likely to suffer from malnutrition. In other words, women and families are at risk and the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved.

This global contraceptive crisis is also a global conservation crisis. Unless the need for contraception is met, our population will continue to grow, increasing pressure on remaining habitat, endangered species and the climate. Sign the petition urging world leaders to prioritize funding for contraceptives as a critical part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Photo credits: Center for Biological Diversity staff by Robin Silver; natural gas field by John Amos/Flickr; Crowded Planet vlog still courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; cheese factory by James Yu/Flickr; Allegheny National Forest by mkb31/Flickr; hamburger and fries by shellysblogger/Flickr; vegetarian lunch by graasland/Flickr; condoms by Daniel Slaughter/Flickr.
 

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