Forest Justice

Polluters are attacking the Clean Air Act and urging their allies in Congress to erase the public health warnings of the nation’s top scientists. And the oil industry is leading the charge.

TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Members of Congress to Oppose the “Dirty Air Acts”

The lobbying arm of Big Oil (the American Petroleum Institute) is arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific finding of the health risks of carbon pollution “fails to demonstrate a significant risk of harm to public health or welfare” (see release) They have spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress in the past year.

Now, several members of Congress have introduced legislation that would substitute politics for science and open a smokestack-sized loophole in one of the nation’s most successful environmental laws–a law that has been strengthened repeatedly by Congress in a bipartisan manner.

National Wildlife Federation stands with a broad coalition of public health, environmental, business, labor, faith and sportsmen organizations in strong opposition to any rollbacks of the Clean Air Act.

Passage of these “Dirty Air Acts” will take us backwards by letting polluters off the hook and preventing the growth of millions of clean energy jobs at this critical moment in time.

Now is the time to move forward strategically and effectively in confronting climate change and building a strong clean energy economy, and the Clean Air Act is one of our most important tools.

How Can You Speak Up to Stop These Proposals?

• Edit and send this automatic email asking your Members of Congress to oppose the Dirty Air Acts.
• Write a Letter to the Editor of your local paper.

by Marcelo de Aguiar & Bernadett Kiss

The documentary is based on my MSc field study performed in the Amazon to evaluate the local impact of policy reforms reflecting the Climate Agenda on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). In this short documentary, the story of Jesuina Braga Alves (Jo) illustrates the livelihood of many small scale farmers in the Brazilian Amazon whose survival has been challenged by changes on the climate and consequent top-down reform on policies.

To reduce forest emissions small scale farmers have faced personal and technical difficulties to phase out slash-and-burn agricultural practices and implement agroforestry as a sustainable alternative to produce their food crops while restoring forest landscapes. Small scale farmers are on the forefront of forest conservation and are the most legitimate actors to represent the forest. Therefore, decision makers should engage those actors and consider their needs and obstacles to achieve the global common goal for reducing emissions from deforestation and mitigate climate change.

People&Power investigates fake carbon offset certificates being sold in Papua New Guinea.

Girl Scouts Planting Tree

The National Wildlife Federation and the national tree-planting and youth education organization, Erthnxt, have combined forces to further environmental literacy, youth volunteerism, habitat restoration, and reversing global warming.  Our joint aim is to provide opportunities for scouting and youth groups across America to learn how they can make a difference by planting and caring for trees.

“Erthnxt and its Trees For The 21st Century program share a common purpose with NWF in confronting global warming, protecting and restoring habitats and connecting people and nature, and we’re thrilled to build on our shared goals,” said National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger.

Erthnxt’s Trees for The 21st Century program joins a suite of National Wildlife Federation’s educational programs including: Eco-Schools USA, the Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat Program, Campus Ecology, community and backyard habitat certifications, and will be an important part of NWF’s Be Out There campaign to connect children and families to the outdoors. Read More »