President Obama is reportedly set to release finalized U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits on industrial carbon pollution from power plants.

Collin O’Mara, president and chief executive officer of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

"These flexible, achievable, science-based rules represent real progress for protecting wildlife and America’s outdoor heritage from the worst impacts of climate change. The steps proposed today are broadly popular, both with voters at large and with sportsmen. Hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts experience firsthand how climate impacts are threatening wildlife from coast to coast—from fueling warming trout and salmon runs to toxic algae in Lake Erie and Florida; from record droughts in Texas and California and wildfires destroying forest habitat across the west; and from extreme storms along the East Coast to accelerating erosion in the Gulf. Conserving wildlife, protecting our clean air and water, and safeguarding our communities all require that we reduce carbon pollution.

"The President has provided states with the flexibility necessary to achieve meaningful reductions in a way that unleashes American innovation to maximize benefits and strengthen the economy. From the Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to California’s carbon trading system, state-based and regional limits on industrial carbon pollution are proven effective at both cutting pollution and creating jobs.

"I'm proud to support these protections not just as a conservationist but as a parent. My daughter Riley is part of a generation that has the most to lose from climate change and that has the most to gain if we act now. And by taking this critical step today, we further establish America’s global leadership position, which is essential to reaching an impactful international agreement."

The National Wildlife Federation has issued a series of detailed reports on how climate change is hurting America’s wildlife and outdoor heritage:

Wildlife in a Warming World: Confronting the Climate Crisis
Shifting Skies: Migratory Birds in a Warming World
Swimming Upstream: Freshwater Fish in a Warming World
Nowhere to Run: Big Game Wildlife in a Warming World
Wildlife Legacy: Climate Change and the Next Generation of Wildlife
Ticked Off: America’s Outdoor Experience and Climate Change
The first five months of 2015 were the hottest on record, on pace to surpass 2014’s record year. A recent study published in the journal Nature finds an increasingly visible link between global warming and extreme weather, with warmer temperatures adding fuel to superstorms like Sandy.









Additional Resources

Learn more

NWF's efforts on clean energy and climate solutions.