Center for Biological Diversity
Pop X
No. 73, Dec. 16, 2016
#Earth2Trump: The Road to Inauguration

Last month, after the election, we began to look at some of the ways the Trump administration could threaten our work for a wild and just future and the values of empowerment and love that drive us. Since then the news hasn't improved. Every day there are frightening developments -- from industry-entrenched cabinet nominations to the attempted witch hunt of government climate scientists. Thankfully not all the news is bad; we've heard from thousands of you who refuse to accept an intolerant, corrupt and anti-science agenda and are ready to act. We stand together.

Starting right after the New Year, the Center will hit the road to build a community of resistance across the country. From the West Coast to D.C., the Earth2Trump Roadshow will bring speakers, musicians, solidarity and hope to more than a dozen cities leading up to the inauguration. Along the way we'll collect pledges of resistance and personalized messages from Earth to the president-elect that we stand against oppression and environmental destruction.

Stay tuned for details coming to your inbox soon. I hope you'll join us on the road to resistance.

For the wild,
Stephanie Feldstein Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
P.S. Today's world population is: 7,480,022,544. We can still save room for wildlife -- spread the word and share the newsletter below.

Study: Will Climate Change Lead to More Crowded Cities?

Downtown San FranciscoResearch has recently shown that abnormal temperature shifts associated with climate change are causing more people to move to urban areas. While the average carbon footprint is often lower in cities than in sprawling communities, a significant climate-driven migration raises several concerns -- from what it will mean for rural economies and food security to whether urban infrastructures are prepared to handle an influx of climate refugees.

This study isn't the first time human migration has been identified as one of the major expected social impacts of climate change. And it's not just academics who are concerned: Military leaders around the world warn that global warming "could lead to a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions."

Climate change and population growth are inextricably linked. A growing population means more pressure on our climate, cities and wildlife. It also makes it even harder to adapt as homes and ways of life are threatened by changing temperatures, extreme weather events and sea-level rise. We must fight for universal access to reproductive healthcare and equality and a rapid transition to a just, renewable energy system to slow both population growth and climate change -- and to create more resilient communities prepared for the demographic shifts ahead.

 
 
Jaguar Ugly tomato
Seeing Spots: New Jaguar in Town

Earlier this year Conservation CATalyst and the Center released video footage of the only known wild jaguar in the United States. Named El Jefe by students in Tucson, near the jaguar's home, this rare cat received widespread media acclaim. And now, with new footage of a young male jaguar in southern Arizona shared by the Cochise County Boy Scouts, it looks like he has company. A lot of the Southwest's mountain wilderness has been lost to development, but these majestic cats provide even more reasons to protect the wild areas we have left. Learn more about the latest jaguar discovery.

The Beauty of Ugly Food

There are lots of ways to fight food waste, from demanding standard, easy-to-understand date labels to getting savvier about your shopping lists. But one often-overlooked strategy is checking our beauty standards at the checkout. More than 10 million tons of fruits and vegetables are left to rot in the field or passed over in supermarkets because they don't live up to our photoshopped ideal of an apple or a carrot. Read more about how savoring imperfect produce can help prevent perfectly good food -- and all the resources that went into growing it -- from going to waste.

 
Ready to Fight Trump? Start Here
Protest Trump illustration Activist
Time to Take a Stand

We can't afford to be silent about Trump's dangerous agenda. It puts our climate, wildlife and civil rights at risk.

Pledge of Resistance

Start by signing and sharing the pledge to reject Trump's radical assault on America's democracy, civil rights and environment.

Trump Action Toolkit

Once you've signed the pledge, check out our toolkit for more actions you can take to protect our planet and make your voice heard.

 
 
Report: Utilities Stall Solar Progress

Solar energy-collecting flower sculpturesThe solar industry at large has made incredible strides this year, with more than 39 percent of all new electric capacity coming from solar installations. But the rate of rooftop-solar installations is starting to fall, and many of the big electric utilities like it that way. According to Blocking the Sun, a new report by Environment America and Frontier Group, utilities and fossil fuel companies are attacking the rooftop solar industry by pushing for destructive policies with shady tactics. These include everything from the Koch brothers funding opaque anti-solar nonprofits to utilities campaigning to impose unfair new charges on solar customers.

If anti-solar interest groups have their way, that's bad news for everyone. Solar panels on buildings, which allow for communities to generate their own power without taking a toll on wildlife, are a no-brainer. Utilities and fossil fuel groups are afraid people are catching on and that they'll either lose money or will have to finally switch up their outdated business model. Rooftop solar is too valuable to wildlife and human communities to sacrifice progress to utility profits. State and local governments must stand up to solar critics and enact and protect legislation that encourages distributed solar growth, such as strong net-metering policies without unfair fees, ambitious renewable-energy standards with rooftop-solar carve-outs, and clear interconnection standards so it's easy for solar users to connect to the grid.
 
Photo credits: Stephanie Feldstein staff photo; cityscape by thomashawk/Flickr; Arizona's new jaguar courtesy Arizona Game and Fish Department; ugly tomato by prizmatic/Flickr; protest by Joe Brusky/Flickr; Trump illustration by richardwinchell/Flickr; activist by Joe Brusky/Flickr; solar power-gathering flower sculptures by journalistjeff/Flickr.
 

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