BERRIEN
COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
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The Democratic Party is the only party that has consistently supported serious and effective measures to protect our environment and natural resources.
Democrats believe in wise stewardship and protection of our air, water, soil, forests, wetlands and watersheds. We believe that by preserving our natural resources, we are preserving our quality of life, our economic growth, and our health.
THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973, 1,074 species of animals and 749 species of plants have been rescued from extinction. So far, 17 species have been removed from the list because they were able to make a drastic recovery.
The ESA is a success story, and it must not be weakened. It is an important tool for preserving some of our most vulnerable resources.
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) National Environmental Scorecard reflects a session of the United States Congress steeped in controversial anti-environment legislation. Many of our core environmental and public health laws were under attack, and much of what we worked to protect for decades was at stake. The LCV "Fred Upton scorecard" represents his sell-out to Bu$h and the extremists in the Republican Party -- Upton has turned his back on moderates and on the voters of the 6th District. The LCV scorecard for Upton goes from only a 37% pro-environmental rating in the 106th Congress to just an abysmal 6% approval rating in the 109th Congress. Some of the issues Upton betrayed Berrien citizens include: 1) allowing oil companies to exploit our Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; 2) selling off over 800,000 acres of public lands to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy (see story below); 3) voting to reduce air pollution standards when asthma is now the top childhood disease in the United States; and 4) voting for CAFTA and other bills that undermine our environmental safeguards.
Source: UPTON'S LCV SCORECARD AGRO-FUEL FACTS
A Beak Outlook: More than a quarter of U.S. bird species imperiled
It's not a good time to be a bird in the U.S. The Watch List 2007, published by the National Audubon Society
and American Bird Conservancy, finds that 178 bird species in the continental U.S. and 39 in Hawaii are
vulnerable to extinction. That's almost all of Hawaii's non-migratory native birds and more than a quarter of
total U.S. bird species, including the Gunnison sage grouse and lesser prairie chicken. While 27 bird species
are coming off the list this year, the total number of species on the list is up 11 percent from five years ago.
The usual suspects are to blame: climate change, habitat loss and a federal government that, says one report
coauthor, "doesn't believe in the Endangered Species Act."
The National Wildlife Refuge System provides safe havens for imperiled species. But since 2003, funding has remained flat, "while salaries and other operating costs have risen." Officials expect that they will have to "trim 75 regional and headquarters office jobs and 248 more field jobs." A new UN Foundation study warns that there is “no more time for delay” on climate change. Without quick
action, the Earth could reach a “tipping point that could lead to intolerable impacts on human well-being,” including
“the spread of disease, less fresh water, more and worse droughts, more extreme storms and widespread economic
damage to farming, fishing and forests.”
MAKING AMERICA LESS CLEAN: The media applauded Bu$h's new commitment to the environment and combating climate change in his 2007 State of the Union address. But his 2008 budget doesn't live up to his rhetoric, granting drilling leases in the Alaskan wilderness to oil companies and cutting the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by $116 million. He has also proposed a $35 million decrease in funding "for State and local programs that help keep our air clean in our cities and states," a $5 million decrease in funding for the EPA's science and technology budget for climate protection, and a $7 million decrease in funding for cleanups at Superfund sites, efforts which are meant to clean up the nation's most heavily contaminated toxic waste sites in communities across the country." The Last 5%: A full 95% of Alaska's vast North Slope is already available for oil and gas exploration and leasing. The coastal plain of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge represents the last 5% that remains off limits to drilling. But Big Oil wants it all. The Christian Aid charity warns that 184 million people in Africa alone could die as a result of climate change before the end of the century. The group’s report warns that climate-induced floods, famine, drought and conflict could reverse recent gains in reducing poverty. Source: Christian Aid
1 Rank of 2006 as hottest year on record in the continental United States, according to NASA. 100% Increase in intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms since the 1970's, according to a 2005 MIT study. 80% Percent decrease in America's global warming pollution required by 2050 to prevent the worst consequences of global warming. 78 Number of days by which the U.S. fire season has increased over the past 20 years - tied closely to increased temperatures and earlier snowmelt. $100 BILLION Estimate of damage caused by hurricanes hitting the U.S. coast in 2005 alone, according to the National Climatic Data Center. 200 MILLION Number of people who could be displaced globally by extreme droughts, sea level rise and flooding by 2080.
Survey predictions. 400,000 Square miles of Arctic sea ice that have melted in the last 30 years (roughly the size of Texas), threatening polar bear habitats and further accelerating global warming worldwide, according to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. 358 Number of U.S. mayors (representing 55 million Americans) who have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement pledging to meet or beat Kyoto goals in their communities. 15-37% Amount of plant and animal species that global warming could wipe out by 2050. 20% Percent increase of America's carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels since 1990.
15%
Percent
increase of America's carbon dioxide emissions forecasted by 2020 if we
do not cap pollution.
doing enough to fight global warming.
State of the Union addresses.
Sources: The U.S. National Climatic Data Center, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Environmental Protection Agency, the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, Science, U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement.
2007 is "set to be the hottest on record worldwide due to global warming and the El Nino weather phenomenon," beating the last record set in 1998, the Britain Meteorological Office says today. "This new information represents another warning that climate change is happening around the world," the office said.
The National Association of Evangelicals and the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School "joined forces to protect the environment from the ravages of global warming, calling on President Bu$h and others in power to help."
ENVIRONMENT - FUNDING CUT FOR GLOBAL WARMING RESEARCH: Last year was the hottest on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent out a press release confirming the link between the warm temperatures and human-induced global warming, stating that a "contributing factor to the unusually warm temperatures throughout 2006 also is the long-term warming trend, which has been linked to increases in greenhouse gases." This acknowledgment came despite President Bu$h's refusal to admit a link between human activities and climate change. A new study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concludes that the government's "ability to understand and predict hurricanes, drought and climate changes of all kinds is in danger because of deep cuts facing many Earth satellite programs and major delays in launching some of its most important new instruments." NASA's earth science budget has declined 30 percent under the Bu$h administration and the NOAA, "meanwhile, has experienced enormous cost overruns and schedule delays with its premier weather and climate mission." NAS co-chairman Richard Anthes noted, "If things aren't reversed, we will have passed the high-water mark for our Earth observations. ... We need to know more, not less, about long-term aspects of climate change." While Bu$h has neglected his campaign pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a bill to "cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the middle of the century." Sanders's legislation has the backing of 13 leading environmental and government Population and Habitat: This year we will add another 73 million people to the planet - mostly in the world'spoorest and most environmentally vulnerable places. Family planning is one of the most cost-effective forms of aid — it increases access to health care and reduces population pressures that jeopardize the health of the environment and ALL species.
(enough to build 46,000 Boeing 737s) were recycled instead, we would save 730 million gallons of oil by not having to make new ones from scratch. Approximately 1 million people die annually from the effects of outdoor air pollution. Childhood asthma has hit epidemic proportions in the U.S., affecting more than 3.5 million kids under the age of 15; nearly twice as many children had asthma in 1999 as did in 1980. Asthma is now the top childhood disease in the U.S., leading to more missed school days and hospital stays than any other chronic illness. --Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 1 of every 4 Americans lives within four miles of a Superfund site. (GAO EPA Report) Forests, parks and wilderness in the U.S. are some of our nation's most valuable treasures. These areas provide a unique and distinct landscape that embraces the beauty of this nation,
and it is critical that we do all we can
to protect them. programs to address this concern, the federal government assists states in protecting forests through the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The FLP involves partnerships between the U.S. Forest System, State Foresters, local governments,
land trusts and interested landowners to
conserve these environmentally important forests. 77.9 million acres, an expanse the size of New Mexico. At the nearly 400 sites that form the National Park System, visitors can hike mountains, stroll along scenic seashores and learn about historic sites of great importance to all Americans. However, much needs to be done to preserve our nation's parks. Overcrowding, pollution and other environmental pressures threaten the integrity of these parks.
Protecting these lands for future generations is one of the most important roles our elected officials have. We need to ensure our local, state and national governments ensure that these natural wonders receive
appropriate protections and funding. For more information, visit out National Park Service website: www.nps.gov
CLIMATE CHANGE -- NEW REPORT FINDS EXXON SPENT $16 MILLION TO 'MANUFACTURE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING: Exxon "gave $16 million to 43 ideological groups between 1998 and 2005 in an effort to mislead the public by discrediting the science behind global warming," a new Union of Concerned Scientists report finds. The company, according to the report, "has adopted the tobacco industry's disinformation tactics, as well as some of the same organizations and personnel, to cloud the scientific understanding of climate change and delay action on the issue." Harvard professor Dr. James McCarthy said Exxon has tried to "create the illusion of a vigorous debate" about global warming. A few of the other tactics the oil giant used are listed in the report: "funded an array of front organizations to create the appearance of a broad platform for a tight-knit group of vocal climate change contrarians who misrepresent peer-reviewed scientific findings; attempted to portray its opposition to action as a positive quest for 'sound science' rather than business self-interest; used its access to the Bu$h administration to block federal policies and shape government communications on global warming." "A modest but effective investment has allowed the oil giant to fuel doubt about global warming to delay government action just as Big Tobacco did for over 40 years," said Alden Meyer, the Union of Concerned Scientists' Director of Strategy and Policy.
"Bears have stopped hibernating in the mountains of northern Spain, scientists revealed, in what may be one of the strongest signals yet of how much climate change is affecting the natural world." Without firing a shot, we may kill one-fifth of all species of life on this planet in the next 30 years. How? Through the destruction of rain forests around the world. In the time it took you to read this, another eight acres of rain forest will have been bulldozed and burned off the face of the earth. Rain forests provide food and shelter to at least half of the world's species of wildlife. These tropical forests are also the world's largest "pharmaceutical factory," the sole source of lifesaving medicines like quinine, man's most potent weapon against malaria.
Get active! Support environmental groups, stay informed and vote for environmental candidates!
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FRED
UPTON = ANTI-ENVIRONMENT
NUMBERS
If the 810,000
tons of aluminum cans Americans toss each year 