Urgent Request from Congress: Tell Us About Wildlife

I just got an email from Robyn, in the Western Regional Center, with an urgent call to action she’d seen in the Mercury News. Oddly enough the author was not a wildlife enthusiast or environmental activist.  It was from a U.S. representative.

He wants to know why he’s not hearing from you:

… [A]n underwhelming number of citizens have written, e-mailed or phoned government officials in the last 12 months to urge them to take action on global warming. Even among those who support a vigorous national response, only 10 percent had contacted their elected officials.

Since constituent opinion matters to most members of Congress, the fact that most Americans are quiet on climate change does not bode well for the planet. Given that our window of opportunity to take action on climate change is quickly closing, how do we increase the sense of urgency?

Today, we asked that National Wildlife Federation’s online community to send their messages to Congress. We’ve got three weeks to make sure the U.S. House of Representatives hears from us, and votes YES for the American Clean Energy and Security Act– a bill that will protect wildlife by giving as much as $1.7 billion per year to wildlife management programs across the country, as well as reduce the global warming emissions that threaten up to 30% of plant and animal species with extinction.

We all have our reasons why we care about global warming. Whether it’s your kid’s future, your desire to do right by Planet Earth, or the knowledge that if you don’t act soon, it may be too late.  For me, it’s the 30%– how can I stand by and let 30% of plant and animal species go extinct?

But even more so, it’s the knowledge that Congress is waiting for us. I believe in citizen action, but I had no idea Congress was actually hoping to hear from us. I guess everyone needs some encouragement and a nod of approval. Your representative is asking for a gentle nudge, a reminder that Americans are committed to a clean energy future, committed to protecting our natural world.

I’m willing to give my representative that word of encouragement.  Will you send one too?