The Nature Conservancy Applauds Legislation to Safeguard Natural Resources against Climate Change

ARLINGTON, VA -- April 30, 2009 -- The Nature Conservancy congratulates Chairman Grijalva and his cosponsors, Chairman Nick Rahall, and Reps. Norm Dicks, John Dingell, George Miller, Mike Thompson, Frank Pallone, Lois Capps, Rush Holt and Madeleine Bordallo for developing a bill that offers a critically needed step toward safeguarding nature from the impacts of climate change. Nature provides trillions of dollars in goods and services to our economy – including food, clean water, recreation and agriculture — and millions of American jobs in agriculture, forestry, commercial fisheries and tourism depend on healthy natural resources.

But climate change threatens our water and food supplies, as well as our economy and way of life. Investment in protection of natural resources is needed to assure these continued benefits and will provide huge economic benefits for generations to come.

The Climate Change Safeguards for Natural Resources Conservation Act will protect and strengthen our nation’s natural resources so they can withstand the impacts of climate change and continue to provide us with the food, clean water, shelter and income we all rely upon for survival. Restoring and strengthening natural systems is a cost-effective approach that can stabilize communities and economies from the impacts of climate change.

For example:

• Strengthening and rebuilding coastal marshes and coral and oyster reefs will protect shorelines from storms and rising sea levels while sustaining commercial and recreational fisheries.
• Restoring natural floodplains and wetlands will help shield communities against floods
• Protecting and connecting grasslands and mountain corridors will serve as migratory paths for wildlife as they to move northward and to higher elevations to find cooler climates as temperatures increase
• Monitoring plant and animal diseases that can change their distribution in a warming world will help protect against severe impacts on food and fiber supplies.

The bill introduced by Chairmen Grijalva and Rahall would establish a needed mechanism to provide dedicated funding for this purpose. A cap on carbon, such as that proposed by Reps. Henry Waxman and Ed Markey, could generate the revenue needed for such critical activities. Congress should dedicate 5 percent of the total revenue generated each year from a comprehensive climate bill to ensure that our natural resources remain healthy and working for us.

The Nature Conservancy looks forward to working with Chairmen Grijalva and Rahall and others to ensure that Congress provides the support and funding needed to allow our natural resources to survive the impacts of climate change and continue to deliver the food, water, income and shelter we all rely upon for survival.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.