Why Wait Until It's Too Late to Stop Global Warming?

Take action>>

What is Congress Waiting for? For it to be too late? Sign the Petition for REAL global warming legislation! It's ridiculous that Congress has not yet passed meaningful global warming legislation. Sign the petition and tell Congress the time is now!>> There are less than two months left in the Congressional calendar, and they have made a promise to pass global warming legislation during this time. But since they haven't done it yet, we want to send them a little to-do list, to get them organized. Send Congress their global warming to-do list today!>> Thank you for everything you do. Emily Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team P.S. If you cannot see the links in this email, please visit: http://go.care2.com/e/sCj5/MmKg/DmWm

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Good News for Whales

was just as shocked as you were last year when Iceland announced they were going to restart their commercial whaling program. Well, I'm happy to tell you that at least for this year, the commercial hunt seems to have come to an end.

When Iceland announced that they were issuing a permit to hunt 39 whales including 9 endangered fin whales, I couldn't believe my ears. Last year, the Icelandic whalers killed 7 minkes and 7 endangered fin whales, only a fraction of their quota. But around the world, more than 100,000 activists have pressured Iceland in the wake of their whaling efforts, and it seems to have worked - at least for now. With almost no market in Iceland and fears that the meat might be contaminated with toxic chemicals, the hunt has been a disaster. They still haven't made the results of the contamination testing on whale meat public, but they can't seem to convince anyone to buy their whale meat regardless.

Iceland has said they won't issue new permits until the market conditions for whale meat improve and they get permission to export whale products to Japan. Well, I've got some news for the Icelandic government: there's no market for whale meat in Japan either. Japan is having trouble selling the thousands of tons of whale meat it already has in storage from its own Southern Ocean "scientific" hunt.

Since the Icelandic government is ready to admit that there isn't any market for commercial whale meat, they might as well face up to the facts: there's no legitimate scientific reason for killing whales either.

It's time for Iceland to hang up those harpoons for good!

Your friend,


John Hocevar
Oceans Campaigner

There's a storm brewing off the coast of Massachusetts that's threatening the future of wind energy for the entire country. In the face of global warming, there are a few powerful forces giving the cold shoulder to what could be America's first offshore wind farm - mostly because they believe it would blemish their million-dollar views.

The Cape Wind project would offset up to 113 million gallons of oil and would be like taking 175,000 cars off the road to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even though more than 80% of Massachusetts residents support the project, a select few, including Senator Ted Kennedy who's compound would face the wind farm, are standing in the way of progress and jeopardizing the entire effort.

That's why we've hit the airwaves and targeted the opposition with television ads aired all across New England. If you haven't seen these ads, check them out.

But this fight isn't just local. We need YOUR help to get Congress on track and make offshore wind a reality.

Tell Congress to blow off millionaire complaints and do what's right for the country.

TAKE ACTION!

As we look for ways to combat global warming and increase renewable energy, the answers really are blowing in the wind! We need your help to show even more public support for Cape Wind and renewable energy. Take action and tell the Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming that he should support this visionary project.

Your Friend,

Kate Smolski
Global Warming Campaigner

It's not over yet!

Deadline Extended! Help us reach our new $75,000 goal so even more people see our ad. Make your donation before our August 28th deadline! We've got some good news! Thanks to our many supporters, we've raised $64,295 to help put our "Being Green" ad on the air in target cities in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina! But why stop there? If we raise an additional $10,705 we can reach tens of thousands more voters in these key swing states. So we're raising the bar - and our goal - to $75,000! Here's the catch. Our deadline to place these new ad buys is only two days away! There's no time to waste. Click here to help us reach our new goal of $75,000 by our new deadline on August 28th! This election isn't just about who will be our first woman president, or our first black president. It is also about who will be our first "green" president. Global warming is the challenge of our generation. America - and the rest of the world - will be looking to one of these candidates for leadership to tackle this crisis that we face. If we can raise these additional funds and reach more people who will let the candidates know that they must make global warming a priority, we'll have something to celebrate. And in January 2009, we can celebrate even more - as we watch the inauguration of America's first "green" president. But we need your help now. Help us buy more air time to reach more people - donate now! Thank you again for all of your hard work. We can't do it without you! Sincerely, Gene Karpinski President League of Conservation Voters

Many earthquake survivors in Peru still need food and water. Donate today to help earthquake survivors. I’m writing to pass along some reports I’ve received from our staff members in Peru. I hope these will give you a sense of the scale of the devastation and the importance of relief efforts in the wake of last week’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake. The death toll has now climbed to 560, with 1,500 people injured and more 250,000 whose homes are destroyed or unsafe. Water and food are scarce. Oxfam’s supporters have sprung into action, donating over $200,000 and enabling us to begin providing clean water, sanitation services, and shelter to thousands of families in remote regions. To help right now, donate to Oxfam’s Peru Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund. Oxfam's humanitarian officer in Peru, Sergio Alvarez, traveled to the worst hit zone immediately after the quake – including rural areas which he could only reach on foot, which he described as “virtually stranded by the outside world.” "The urban areas are being better attended but the rural areas and the city's outskirts have received very little attention so far," said Sergio. Only 120,000 of a total 665,000 inhabitants of the affected region live in Pisco. That’s why Oxfam is concentrating its efforts on rural areas that are less visible and face difficulties in reaching out to the media and authorities. These include Independencia and Humay, where 40% of the inhabitants have had their homes severely damaged. We are also providing aid in the city of Pisco, where all the adobe houses were destroyed – that’s 70% of the buildings – leaving only the modern structures standing. Many communities are cut off completely by collapsed bridges or landslides that have made roads impassable. People are living on the streets in terrible conditions; if their homes aren’t destroyed, they fear the constant aftershocks – over 450 of them so far. Access to food and water are major issues. Sergio reports: "Only a few communities have water wells, which means they will not have water even when electricity comes back. The other main concern is that these villages are running out of food, and as of now, they are receiving very little or no aid at all." You can help us respond more effectively by donating today. We anticipate the recovery from this disaster will take months, not weeks. So Oxfam is in it for the long haul, not just providing immediate aid but planning for long-term recovery and building local capacity to respond to the ongoing needs of affected families. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Raymond C. Offenheiser President Oxfam America P.S. The destruction caused by Hurricane Dean in the Caribbean this week is also of paramount concern to Oxfam America. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we will keep you updated on Oxfam's response as events progress.

Who gives a hoot?

The northern spotted owl is in big trouble. The Bush/Cheney Administration’s disingenuous draft “recovery plan” threatens to undermine years of progress in protecting these owls and the old growth forests they need to survive.

Tell officials to go back to the drawing board and develop an effective science-based recovery plan that protects northern spotted owls -- not just timber companies.

From the current draft plan, it is clear that:

• The Bush/Cheney Administration and the timber industry are in cahoots to weaken habitat protections and increase logging in the public forests where these owls live.
• The draft “recovery plan” as it stands now will destroy old growth forest networks -- the backbone of an effective conservation strategy for the northern spotted owl and many other species that depend on these forests to survive.
• The Bush/Cheney Administration continues to put politics before science.

Old growth forests once dominated the Pacific Northwest, but decades of logging have left them drastically reduced and forced endangered northern spotted owls out of vital habitat.

Dwindling by almost 4% per year, the northern spotted owl is at risk of declining to the point that the species would need to be "uplisted" from threatened to endangered. Some scientists believe there may be as few as 3,000 pairs left.

In early 2006, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service created the Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Team, a broad coalition of scientists and other experts from state and federal agencies and local stakeholder groups, to develop a recovery plan for these beleaguered birds.

But in what amounted to top-level political interference, a Washington, DC “oversight committee,” consisting of high-ranking officials from the Bush/Cheney Administration rejected the science-based plan put forth by the Recovery Team in favor of a plan that put timber interests first.

Let officials know that we won’t stand for political interference when it comes to endangered species and habitat recovery.

The so-called oversight committee ordered the recovery team to stop work on development of their conservation approach and develop a second approach that would allow federal agencies to decide where to place chunks of owl habitat ad hoc and without accountability in order to maximize timber profits.

The “recovery plan” that emerged would set back nearly 20 years of progress for both the northern spotted owl and the old growth forests they depend on for survival.

Science should govern wildlife management, not greed and politics. Urge officials at the Fish & Wildlife Service to withdraw the politicized draft recovery plan and reconvene the Recovery Team to draft a new plan based on real science.

We have just days to act, but there’s still time to save northern spotted owls and the hundreds of other creatures that depend on these ancient forests to survive. The deadline for comments on the draft “recovery plan” is this Friday, August 24th, so please take a stand for the northern spotted owl and against political corruption today.

Thank you for being there for wildlife when they need us most.

Sincerely,

Gina LaRocco Conservation Program Associate Defenders of Wildlife

Fast Facts about the Northern Spotted Owl and Old-growth Forests:

• The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service should withdraw the politicized draft recovery plan and reconvene the Recovery Team to draft a new plan based on scientific findings.
• This is a flagrant attempt by the Bush/Cheney Administration to allow accelerated and unsustainable logging on federal lands at the expense of the spotted owl and other wildlife that depend on these forests.
• Spotted owl numbers are declining more rapidly than anticipated when the federal government added them to the endangered species list in 1990. Given the continuing stresses and threats to this species, the northern spotted owl needs more old growth forest protection, not less.
• The Bush/Cheney Administration ignored repeated requests for a thorough peer review on the habitat provisions in the plan prior to its public release.
• Decisions related to the recovery of a species should not be subject to high level political interference as was the case with several plans, including the draft plan for the northern spotted owl.
• Protection of old growth forests not only supports northern spotted owl recovery, it supports the recovery of many other at-risk species.

Earth vs. Bush

Bush is pushing countries around the world to block a major climate change treaty. Can you help? Our friends at Avaaz.org are organizing citizens in other countries to stand up to Bush and they need our support. A donor has pledged to match every dollar we all give, up to $250,000. Can you help?

President Bush isn't just blocking progress on climate change here at home—he's making a full-court press to pull back the rest of the world as well. But if we join with progressives beyond our borders, we can stop him.

Bush has made no secret of his opposition to global climate treaties. But now, our international sister organization, Avaaz.org, is hearing from top officials in foreign governments about a new surge of pressure. Bush is apparently quietly sending envoys to governments around the world—a last-ditch effort to derail the climate movement's worldwide momentum before treaty negotiations this autumn.

Avaaz.org is launching an emergency drive to mobilize its members around the world—organizing, country by country, to resist Bush and press forward on climate change. And they've asked for our help.

A donor has pledged to match contributions from MoveOn members, dollar for dollar, up to $250,000—enough to dramatically broaden Avaaz's organizing power on every continent. Can you help to fund this emergency global climate campaign? Click here to donate:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/earth_versus_bush/

Normally, as Americans, we focus our energy on changing US policies—in part because they have such a big impact on the rest of the world. But at this moment, one of the most powerful ways to fight climate change is to support progressives in other countries who are fighting to ensure that their governments stand strong against Bush.

This fall, negotiations begin on the next global climate treaty. It's make-or-break time, and activists around the world are looking for our support.

Here's what Avaaz is planning:

* In September, 21 world leaders will meet at a major summit in Australia. Bush will try to lobby Russia, China, and Japan on climate change. But Avaaz will preempt him, with a massive media campaign in key capital cities around the world—from full-page newspaper ads to television spots, all demanding progress on global warming

* Weeks later, the United Nations Secretary-General will host an emergency session on climate change in New York—with 100 heads of state invited. In the United States, government leaders are used to receiving thousands of online messages. But most world governments will never have experienced a MoveOn-style campaign—at least, until they are flooded with messages from Avaaz members before the UN session, calling on them to stand up to Bush.

* This December, as governments gather in Bali to begin hammering out the specifics of the global climate treaty, the Avaaz team will monitor the negotiations hour by hour—and send dispatches to people standing by to mobilize instant protests in any country in danger of caving in to Bush on climate change. It's democracy in action at a worldwide scale.

Avaaz (which means "voice" in many languages) launched just five months ago, co-founded by a small team of campaigners from four continents. The idea: bring MoveOn-style people-powered politics to the whole world. Already this year, it has caught fire—growing by more than 20,000 people a week. THey now have over 1.1 million members. This is their biggest campaign yet. And they need our help.

It is frustrating to hear what Bush is doing overseas, all in our name. But even if our government is on the wrong side, we, as Americans, have a chance to join with folks everywhere to confront climate change. We can block Bush's plan, help secure the future of our planet—and send a message to the world's people that Americans stand with them. Thanks to the matching grant, every dollar we give will be doubled. Click here to donate:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/earth_versus_bush/

Thanks for all you do.

–Eli, Karin, Justin, Joan, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.