Washington, DC – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA) reintroduced a bicameral bill to protect America’s natural resources and wildlife from the effects of climate change and increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events. The Safeguarding America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act would build on existing federal, state, and local efforts to establish an integrated national approach to environmental protection.
“In Rhode Island, we know how important it is to safeguard Narragansett Bay, our coasts, and all the natural treasures that drive our economy and make the Ocean State such a wonderful place to live. Responsibly managing these natural resources is key as the climate crisis pushes our resources and wildlife to the brink,” said Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Our bicameral bill would build on the work already being done in states and communities across the country to create a national strategy to better protect our precious natural resources.”
“The SAFE Act will save taxpayer money, protect communities across the United States, and boost our resilience against natural disasters,” said Cartwright. “By implementing a long-term national strategy to better prepare for the damage caused by extreme weather, we will give our communities greater peace of mind and better protect our natural resources and wildlife.”
Some biologists estimate that climate change could cause up to 35 percent of animals and plants to become extinct in the wild by 2050.
The SAFE Act would require federal and state natural resource agencies to form a working group to plan and implement a long-term national climate change adaptation strategy for fish, wildlife, and plants based on the best available science. State, local, and Tribal governments, as well as nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and private sector representatives would be called upon to lend their expertise to the process. The legislation would require agencies to identify and prioritize specific conservation and management strategies to respond to extreme weather and climate change. This national strategy would guide federal adaptation plans and reduce redundancy and costs and encourage the development of state-level adaptation plans.
The SAFE Act would also codify the existing Climate Adaptation Science Center Network, which develops and compiles scientific information, tools, and strategies for adaptation.
Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are cosponsoring the legislation.
Organizations endorsing the SAFE Act include the World Wildlife Fund, Endangered Species Coalition, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Wildlife Society, American Rivers, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Restore America’s Estuaries, National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy.
“Rising temperatures are altering habitats and putting added pressure on America’s wildlife and wild places. At the same time, nature is our biggest ally in solving the climate crisis. Forests and grasslands absorb carbon and reduce extreme heat and wetlands and mangroves protect coastlines from storm surges – and that’s just the start,” said Alejandro Pérez, Senior Vice President for Policy and US Government Affairs at World Wildlife Fund. “Establishing a national strategy to ensure the resilience of these ecosystems in the face of climate change is smart policy. And ensuring that tribes and Native nations have a seat at the table in designing and implementing this strategy is particularly important. We thank Senator Whitehouse and Representative Cartwright for introducing this legislation, along with Senators Booker, Blumenthal, Carper, Warren, and Wyden, and Representatives Connolly, Dingell, Lynch, Scanlon, Panetta, Huffman, and Brownley. Through measures such as the SAFE Act, we can keep nature at the center of U.S. government efforts to address climate change.”
“The Wildlife Society thanks Senator Whitehouse and Representative Cartwright for their continued leadership in ensuring that the best-available science is incorporated in a national climate adaptation strategy. The Earth’s climate is warming at an unprecedented rate, and urgent actions are required to address climate change impacts on wildlife and human communities. This legislation will engage a broad community of experts in climate change research, mitigation, and adaptation — including Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiians — and build diverse, equitable, and inclusive collaborations that promote the conservation and management of wildlife and their habitat in the face of the climate crisis,” said Cameron Kovach, Chief Program Officer at the Wildlife Society.
The text of the legislation can be found here.
