This is a very important petition to urge the European Commission to stop the use of high risk fuels like palm oil in the EU that destroy our forests and kill orangutans.
The EU subsidises it as “green biodiesel” even though it’s actually three times worse for climate change than regular diesel because of the deforestation it causes.
We can protect the orangutans and the rainforest from palm oil destruction – but we have to act now. Time is running out! If the Commission does not carry out the commitments made by the EU parliament by February 1, 2019, orangutans may soon become extinct and more of our rainforests will be gone. https://act.wemove.eu/campaigns/no-more-palm-oil-uk
A popular South Florida vacation spot is stepping up their environmental stewardship. City commissioners in Key West just approved the first step toward a city-wide ban on the use of sunscreens containing two substances — oxybenzone and octinoxate — proven harmful to coral reefs.
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
In addition to being a beautiful home for sea creatures, coral is a living organism. Among other environmental hazards, oxybenzone and octinoxate have been shown to decrease the reefs’ defense against bleaching. Coral bleaching occurs when corals get stressed. They become translucent, or ‘bleached’, and lose their stunning colors. The colors come from marine algae, which provide the coral with food. When stressed, the coral expel the algae and subsequently starve to death.
Application of products containing oxybenzone to your skin and than entering water near the reef, in addition to causing bleaching, also damages the corals’ DNA, blocks reproduction and produces sick offspring. This means that coral populations would be deformed and toxic, and could eventually die off.
The tiny amount of oxybenzone that can severely damage a reef will shock you. According to a study published in 2015,
‘Serious damage to corals by oxybenzone can start with concentrations as low as the equivalent of one drop of water in six-and-a-half Olympic-sized swimming pools.’
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
Banning reef-damaging chemicals is an idea that’s picking up steam. Last year, Hawaii banned the sale or distribution of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, beginning in 2021. Other vacation spots, including the Western Pacific nation of Palau, have also banned many kinds of sunscreen. Sunscreen manufacturers are arguing against the bans, saying the sunscreens prevent cancer and that “at this moment, research on sunscreens’ effects on coral is limited.” But bans should incite manufacturers to review ingredients and undertake product research to meet changing consumer demands.
One Key West commissioner says people could still get a prescription from a doctor for sunscreens that contain the banned ingredients. However, you may choose to simply avoid ones that contains octinoxate; when it penetrates your skin, it has been shown to lead to increased toxicity levels in your body.
Better choices might be products containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, or simply wearing protective clothing. You can find some skin and reef-safe product suggestions here.
Fifty people spoke out about the proposal at the Key West commission meeting, including school children, boat captains and dermatologists.
Target: Senator John Barrasso, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Goal: Do not confirm polluter ally Andrew Wheeler as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Andrew Wheeler does not prioritize the environment. His track record as the acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proves this. We need the new head of the EPA to uphold the EPA’s mission statement of protecting human health and the environment. Wheeler is not the man for the job.
Andrew Wheeler became the acting EPA administrator in July 2018, when Scott Pruit resigned amid a serious scandal that he misused federal funds for personal gains. He is before Congress this week for his congressional hearing to officially lead the agency.
Wheeler has a history as a coal, chemical and uranium lobbyist. He vehemently defends the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations. He does not think that climate change is a crisis caused by humans that requires a swift response. His attitude and policies do not protect human health and the environment. He is unfit to lead the EPA.
Senate Democrats spent much of their time during a confirmation hearing pointing out how far out of sync Wheeler’s track record is with the mission of the EPA. They accused Wheeler of tipping the scale in favor of the fossil fuel industry. Unfortunately, Democrats hold a minority in the Senate and will not be able to block the confirmation of Wheeler alone. They need Senate Republicans to take a stand for the environment.
Join us in demanding that the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works remember what the EPA was designed to protect.
Do not confirm Andrew Wheeler as the new head of the EPA.
PETITION LETTER:
Sen. John Barrasso,
In your capacity as chairman of the committee, you hold a good deal of power and influence when it comes to confirming the next head of the EPA. Andrew Wheeler is before your committee seeking confirmation. Please do not confirm him.
The EPA was designed to protect human health and the environment. Wheeler’s track record proves that he will not uphold the mission of the EPA. He repeatedly works to deny climate change, lobby for fossil fuels, and repeal regulations that safeguard human health. Wheeler is not the person I want in charge of environmental regulations.
I am asking you to not confirm Andrew Wheeler as the next head of the EPA.
This Wyoming coyote is one of thousands who are being persecuted by human killers in the state, who practice ‘Yote Whackin’. It includes coyote killing contests and snowmobiles. This coyote is plastered in the snow under a snowmobile after just being chased until she/he could no longer escape. The hunter arranged his camera on the snowmobile to film himself running over the coyote several times before grabbing the coyote by the tail and swinging the animal to beat her/his head against the snowmobile, again and again, until the job is done when he tosses the coyote, as he smiles into the camera.
The photo and video above “ … offer brutal glimpses at reality, and they speak not only truth on the ground but to the fact such behaviour is condoned by political and social leaders in Wyoming, who let them happen without comment.” (Todd Wilkinson).
Coyotes in WY and other western states have no protection at all … everything goes. We also have anecdotal evidence that hunters in Montana enjoy chasing and running over coyotes with their recreational vehicles.
No animal deserves this type of the suffering and cruel death.
No animal deserves to be treated with such aggression, brutality and violence.
Please take immediate action and contact WY’s officials to prohibit predator killing contests and killing coyotes with vehicles – now!
Please sign this petition to demand that the state of Wyoming immediately provide protection for predators and prohibit atrocious behavior such as coyote/predator killing contests, and chasing and running over coyotes (or any wild animal) with any vehicle, including aircrafts, ATVs, ORVs, cars and snowmobiles.
You can also write your own letter denouncing this unhinged cruelty, or you can personalize the letter below, and send it to the officials listed below. We must stop the pathological torture of our wildlife.
Public Photo: “Coyote snow camo”, and “that face you make when a snowmobile runs you over”.
Public photos and videos under Fair Use for educational purpose.
I was shocked to learn that Wyoming allows ‘yote whackin,’ a practice that include coyote killing contests and killing coyotes with snowmobiles.
In just one video posted online, a hunter can be seen chasing a coyote to exhaustion in deep snow, deliberately running the animal over several times, and then grabbing the coyote by the tail and slamming the animal onto his snowmobile while smiling into the camera. You can read more about this issue and also watch a video here: https://mountainjournal.org/hunting-in-america-faces-an-ethical-reckoning
Videos like the one above “ … offer brutal glimpses at reality, and they speak not only truth on the ground but to the fact such behavior is condoned by political and social leaders in Wyoming, who let them happen without comment.” (Todd Wilkinson).
Predator killing contests and killing wild animals with vehicles goes against the ethical standards laid out by the North American Wildlife Model and directly violates fair chase, respect for and humane killing of wild animals.
What gives hunters the right to engage in behavior that otherwise would be punished with a felony animal cruelty charge? No animal, whether domestic or wild deserves to be treated with such outrageous aggression, brutality and violence.
I am asking you to immediately provide protection for predators and prohibit atrocious behavior such as coyote/predator killing contests, and chasing and running over coyotes (or any wild animal) with any vehicle, including aircrafts, ATVs, ORVs, cars and snowmobiles.
New plant-focused diet would ‘transform’ planet’s future, say scientists
‘Planetary health diet’ would prevent millions of deaths a year and avoid climate change
The first science-based diet that tackles both the poor food eaten by billions of people and averts global environmental catastrophe has been devised. It requires huge cuts in red meat-eating in western countries and radical changes across the world.
Petition target: Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai
Footage has emerged on social media of an emaciated white tiger hungrily licking and biting the muddy floor of her barren enclosure at Wuhan Zoo in China.
The heartbreaking video was captured by a zoo visitor shocked by the physical condition and behavior of the animal. The tiger is housed in appalling conditions, trapped in a bare, muddy square surrounded by concrete with no enrichment whatsoever — not even a tree — in sight.
Zoo management responded to the claims of animal abuse, stating that the seven-year-old Bengal tiger had just been fed a chicken and was merely searching for remains. They said she weighs about 120 kilograms, asserting that this is a normal weight for her species.
However, according to media reports from the big cat’s arrival at the zoo in September last year, she used to weigh 210 kilograms — indicating a massive 90-kilogram weight loss in a matter of months.
Clearly, this white tiger is suffering at Wuhan Zoo, as shown by her skeletal frame and disturbing behavior. She needs to be removed from this facility and sent to a sanctuary to receive appropriate care in a suitable environment.
Sign this petition asking the Chinese Ambassador to address this issue at once, urging Wuhan Zoo to send the tiger to a sanctuary.
Mark I’m sure you are as upset and concerned as we are about Japan’s decision to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) to resume commercial whaling in the waters around Japan.
By leaving the IWC, the Japanese government has shown an utter disregard for international agreements and conservation efforts. Japanese hunters will kill sei, Bryde’s and minke whales in the same way that they kill around 3,000 dolphins and ‘small’ whales every year – in unregulated hunts with no accountability.
Please email the Japanese Embassy in your country to politely express your concern. Tell them that by disregarding the international community, Japan is harpooning its reputation.
You’ll find all the information you need, including a template email, on our action page.
Thank you for getting involved and speaking up for whales. Every voice counts.
Even as NRDC fights in scores of courtrooms to save our environment from the Trump administration, we continue to wage many other important campaigns as well—all thanks to your support. Today, I want to update you on our longstanding effort to protect Canada’s spectacular boreal forest from destruction at the hands of giant timber and consumer product companies.
“no copyright infringement is intended for photos used”
All from Google images – not property of NRDC.
1. The Big Picture:
Canada’s boreal forest is our planet’slargest intact old-growth forest. But logging, oil, gas, and mining companies are clearing more than one million acres each year. That’s more than seven NHL hockey rinks a minute, threatening hundreds of Indigenous communities, iconic caribou, and billions of migratory birds, all of which call this ancient forest home.
As for the ancient trees? Many of them are being turned into toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues.
Why It Matters:
Know what else calls the boreal forest home?
300 billion tons of carbon, stored in the boreal region’s soils, plants, and wetlands. That’s equal to more than three decades’ worth of fossil fuel emissions. And it means every acre exploited by industry makes climate change even worse — not to mention putting in peril the people and wildlife who’ve thrived in the boreal for centuries.
What We’re Doing:
Protecting the world’s largest old-growth forest takes sustained commitment. But NRDC has been in the fight for two decades — and as we round the bend into 2019, we’re more committed than ever to:
Turning up the heat on companies like Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and others to say no to making throwaway tissue products from trees that come from the boreal forest, and urging these companies to use recycled content instead.
Educating consumers on what products to avoid that are made with boreal wood.
Learn More:
See what the boreal forest looks like.
Check out this video to grasp the full beauty of the boreal forest and learn more about how carbon sinks — like the boreal — work and why they’re critical.
Learn about the ways in which Indigenous Peoples are leading the fight to protect their forest homelands. Meet the Innu forester working to save Canada’s boreal forest.
Discover what it’s like to study one of North America’s most elusive mammals. Meet the wildlife ecologist who is researching ways to help boreal caribou survive.
Find out which companies are calling for protection of Canada’s boreal forest. Read the letter from industry executives urging the Canadian government to step up and take bold steps to save the boreal forest.
Is he fit to run the EPA ?
World Animals Voice 