Center for Biological Diversity
Pop X
No. 48, Nov. 21, 2014
Midterms' Mixed Results

In Michigan we celebrated the defeat of two ballot proposals that would have allowed wolf hunting and given state wildlife officials unprecedented power to declare war on wildlife. But several other states sent wolf-hating officials to Congress.

Ballot measures to ban fracking passed in California, Ohio and Texas, but newly elected federal officials are eager to fast-track fossil fuel development, including Keystone XL. In Colorado and North Dakota, voters rejected measures that would have restricted access to reproductive healthcare, but Congress is now full of representatives unlikely to represent women's rights.

If the election left you feeling a little dazed and confused, you're not alone. Still, we can't forget that people across state and political lines voted to stop some of the most egregious measures against women and wildlife, and as we face some tough fights ahead, their support -- and yours -- gives me hope.

For the wild,
Stephanie Feldstein Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
P.S. Today's world population is: 7,226,767,303. We can still save room for wildlife -- spread the word and share the newsletter below.

Don't Ignore the Population Wake-up Call

Alarm clockOnce again, researchers have sounded the alarm on population growth. And once again, the mainstream media has mostly chosen to hit the snooze button.

Two Australian researchers looked at scenarios from the mundane to the apocalyptic to determine what might be in store for human population by the end of the century. The results were grim: In one example, even if a global pandemic wiped out 2 billion people, there would still be 8.4 billion by 2100.

The study showed we've ignored the population problem for too long. But instead of being a wake-up call that we can't let this trend continue, the authors and the media concluded that population advocacy "is not a quick fix," and therefore conservationists should focus efforts on curbing consumption.

This month in The Huffington Post, I discuss why it's important not to fall into the trap of choosing to focus only on the overconsumption problem at the expense of population, and why we can't discount the short-term benefits of reducing fertility rates to women, families and wildlife.

 
 
 
Bear trap

Endangered species condom volunteers

Wildlife Services Wins Dodo Award

Wildlife Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's notorious animal-killing program, earned the dubious honor of being this year's top eco-villain recipient of the Center's 2014 Rubber Dodo award. The program killed more than 2 million native animals in 2013, including 320 gray wolves, 75,000 coyotes and 419 black bears -- mostly at the behest of the livestock and agriculture industries. From aerial gunning to exploding cyanide traps, its methods are gruesome and have been known to harm pets and people as well as wild creatures. Check out our press release and learn more about our campaign against Wildlife Services.

Condom Season -- Sign Up

Holiday season means family, food, resolutions... and sex. Between now and the New Year, more babies will be conceived in the United States than at any other time of year. The Center is doing our part to make sure all that holiday cheer doesn't contribute to unplanned pregnancies. We're giving away 40,000 free Endangered Species Condoms to get people thinking about the impact of human population growth on endangered species. Sign up today to be a volunteer distributor for our condoms and help make the holidays, and the future, a little brighter for panthers, hellbenders, dwarf seahorses -- and humans too.

 
Cows vs. Elk
Cow

vs.

Tule elk

Ranchers are trying to get the National Park Service to remove tule elk from California's Point Reyes National Seashore for eating grass they believe belongs to their cattle.

Tell the Park Service and politicians to protect free-ranging elk from the special interests of subsidized livestock grazing on our public parklands.

From competition for forage to the direct killing of native animals, find out how livestock endanger wildlife on public lands and what you can do to help.

 
 
New Study: American Diet Bad for People and the Planet

Fruits and vegetablesAs countries around the world gain wealth and a taste for the western diet, it could be bad news for the health of people and the planet, according a recently published study in the journal Nature. University of Minnesota ecologists predict that by 2050, the expansion of diets heavy in meat could cause food-related greenhouse gas emissions to increase by 80 percent and rates of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer to skyrocket.

It doesn't have to be this way. The study's authors point out that if developing nations adopted vegetarian and lower-meat diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, we could avoid a drastic increase in health and climate-related problems -- as well as all the other negative effects of meat production on the planet. The message of this study isn't just for up-and-coming nations – Americans consume more meat than almost anyone else in the world, and a shift in our eating habits toward less meat could have a profound influence on the future of global diets, the environment and our own health.

 
Photo credits: Stephanie Feldstein staff photo; alarm clock courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Batholith; bear trap courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Minnesota Historical Society; Endangered Species Condom volunteers by Kristin Tieche; cow by Keith Weller, USDA; vs. graphic; tule elk courtesy Flickr/Yathin; fruits and vegetables courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Olearys.
 

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