America's conservatives like to pretend that environmental issues, such as global warming, don't exist, that they're just a leftist plot to undermine America's economy. That's why the current Bush administration has been so aggressive about undermining or overriding both domestic and worldwide concerns. Self-interest is the conservative mantra. But whose self-interest is served by destroying the environment we all depend on?
Under the current Bush administration, political and religious ideologues are often allowed to rewrite or reject the findings of environmental science, and commercial interests are allowed to override environmental interests:
"Republican appointees who oppose the agencies to which they are assigned are a dime a dozen...put a timber industry lobbyist in as head of the Forest Service. How about a mining industry lobbyist who believes public lands are unconstitutional in charge of the public lands? ... A utility lobbyist who represented the worst air polluters in the country as head of the clean air division at the EPA? ... As head of the Superfund, a woman whose last job was teaching corporate polluters how to evade Superfund regulations? ... A Monsanto lobbyist as No. 2 at the EPA. A lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute at the Council on Environmental Quality." - Molly Ivins
Top Scientists Want Research Free From Politics "This interference has been directed at climate change research, new birth control drugs, species protection, consumer safety studies and agricultural research, the scientists said."
Polluters Finance Research to Cast Doubt on Global Warming "There has been an organized campaign, financed to the tune of about $10 million a year from some of the largest carbon polluters, to create the impression that there is disagreement in the scientific community. In actuality, there is very little disagreement." - Al Gore
The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science documents how, in recent years, "scientists who work for and advise the federal government have seen their work manipulated, suppressed, distorted, while agencies have systematically limited public and policy maker access to critical scientific information."
Preserving Prairie: Foundation Buys Prairie Lands In Order To Preserve Them "...the federal government, once the best recourse for those who wanted to preserve lands and wildlife, has gone fickle. The same swipe of a pen that created the Wilderness Act under one administration now offers wild lands to the oil and gas industry under another. The Bush administration has shown how government can undo the conservation work of generations in a very short time. The list of reverses is long, and shows clearly the ascendance of an ideology, born in the industry-funded think-tanks of the Cato Institute, the Reason Foundation, the Hoover Institute, and many others, that maintains public lands are a 'socialist' concept impeding private enterprise and free markets."
The Godly Must Be Crazy:
Christian-right views are swaying politicians and threatening the environment This is a "must-read" if you want to understand the underlying religious ideology often driving America's anti-environmental forces.
Preeminent Scientists Protest Bush Administration's Misuse of Science More than 60 leading scientists, including 12 Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former federal agency directors and university chairs and presidents, have issued a statement calling for regulatory and legislative action to restore scientific integrity to the federal policymaking of the Bush administration.
Advocacy Groups
Boreal Forest Network An organization of environmentalists, indigenous peoples and scientists concerned with the protection and sustainable use of the boreal forest, an almost continuous band of coniferous forests circling the countries of the Circumpolar North, and one of the three great forest systems of the world.
Climate Crisis Coalition CCC seeks to broaden the circle of individuals, organizations and constituencies engaged in the global warming issue, to link it with other issues and to provide a structure to forge a common agenda and advance action plans with a united front.
ClimateStar.org Entertainers working for solutions to global warming.
Conservation International CI applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in major tropical wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. CI works in more than 30 countries on four continents.
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research The CGIAR mission is to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries by promoting sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally sound management of natural resources.
Earth Summit 2002 A wide variety of resources related to Earth Summit 2002.
Earthwatch Institute This organization promotes sustainable conservation of natural environments and cultural heritage by creating partnerships among scientists, the general public, educators, and businesses. They also involve people from all walks of life directly in global field research and invite you to join them.
Friends of the Earth FOEI is a federation of autonomous environmental organizations from all over the world. Their members in 66 countries campaign on the most urgent environmental and social issues of the day, while simultaneously catalyzing a shift toward sustainable societies.
Global Exchange is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice.
Green House Network is a non-profit organization with hundreds of active members committed to creating the grassroots movement needed to stop global warming and to defeat the right wing's disinformation campaign about energy and climate change.
Greenpeace This well-known global organization focuses on the the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's biodiversity and environment.
Grist Magazine An informative and provocative online environmental magazine - updated daily.
Intermediate Technology Development Group Based on the philosophy of "Small is Beautiful," ITDG aims to demonstrate and advocate the sustainable use of technology to reduce poverty in developing countries.
The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives ICLEI's mission is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local governments to improve global environmental and sustainable development conditions through cumulative local actions.
Millennium Seed Bank Project An international collaborative plant conservation initiative which aims to safeguard 24,000 plant species from around the globe against extinction.
National Audubon Society The mission of this famous organization is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
National Wildlife Federation The NWF is the nation's largest member-supported conservation group, uniting individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect wildlife, wild places, and the environment.
Natural Resources Defense Council NRDC uses law, science, and the support of more than 500,000 members nationwide to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.
"This administration, in catering to industries that put America's health and natural heritage at risk, threatens to do more damage to our environmental protections than any other in U.S. history. Here is NRDC's account of what the Bush administration has done and is doing on environmental matters.
The Nature Conservancy Their mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
Network for Good offers ways to donate, volunteer and speak out for the protection of animals and the environment.
Pew Center on Global Climate Change A non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization dedicated to providing credible information, straight answers and innovative solutions in the effort to address global climate change.
Rainforest Alliance Their mission is to protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that live within them by implementing better business practices for biodiversity conservation and sustainability.
RealClimate: Climate Science From Climate Scientists Sorting out the bogus from the genuine, RealClimate tries to give credible expert opinion on the science of climate change by means of a custom search engine which searches only pages that have been scrutinised by climate scientists and are deemed to provide solid and reliable information.
SciDev.Net A free-access, Internet-based network devoted to reporting on and discussing those aspects of modern science and technology that are relevant to sustainable development and the social and economic needs of developing countries.
SeaWeb A project designed to raise awareness of the world ocean and the life within it.
Sierra Club Their mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Society of Environmental Journalists SEJ is the world's largest organization of journalists who cover the environment. The web site includes back issues of the quarterly SEJournal and biweekly TipSheet, a calendar of environmental events, a database of environmental links, a gallery of environmental journalism, and directions for contacting SEJ members.
U.S.PIRG: Federation Of State PIRGs The mission of this alliance is to deliver persistent, result-oriented activism that protects the environment, encourages a fair marketplace for consumers and fosters responsive, democratic government.
United Nations Environment Programme UNEP works to encourage sustainable development through sound environmental practices. Its activities cover a wide range of issues, from atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems, to the promotion of environmental science and information, to an early warning and emergency response capacity to deal with environmental disasters and emergencies.
Union of Concerned Scientists UCS is an independent nonprofit alliance of 60,000 citizens and scientists across the country who combine rigorous scientific analysis with innovative thinking and committed citizen advocacy to build a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world. The site includes The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science which documents how, in recent years, "scientists who work for and advise the federal government have seen their work manipulated, suppressed, distorted, while agencies have systematically limited public and policy maker access to critical scientific information."
The Wilderness Society Through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy, TWS works to protect America's wilderness and to develop a nationwide network of wild lands.
Wildlife Trust Through collaborative projects with local scientists and educators, Wildlife Trust works worldwide to save threatened species from extinction.
World Wildlife Fund WWF directs its conservation efforts toward protecting and saving endangered species and addressing global threats.
World Overpopulation Awareness Become aware of how overpopulation affects you, the world and the environment.
Worldwatch Institute Worldwatch is a non-profit public policy research organization dedicated to informing policymakers and the public about emerging global problems and trends, as well as the complex links between the world economy and its environmental support systems.
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