• Animals

Animal Activists Cautiously Celebrate as Federal Government Cracks Down on “Tiger Kings”

• endangered species
• Endangered Species Act
• PETA
• Tiger King
• tigers
• World Wildlife Fund
• zoos

When quarantine began, many of us were hooked on two things: Animal Crossing and Tiger King. Now, thanks to the hit Netflix docuseries, the federal government and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are having an animal crossover all their own. PETA hopes to use a series of lawsuits against privately-owned tiger and “exotic” animal “zoos” to set a precedent under the Endangered Species Act. 

Why This Matters: There is currently no federal law preventing the ownership of wildlife, endangered or otherwise.

• People

Securing a Sustainable Future for Buffalo, People, and Nature

• #30x30
• bison
• buffalo
• Earth Day
• endangered species
• Great Sioux Nation
• habitat
• Lakota People
• Native peoples
• Wolakota
• World Wildlife Fund

By Wizipan Little Elk On August 23, 1804, a shot rang out on the wind-swept prairie near what is now called southeastern South Dakota, marking the first buffalo kill of the famous Lewis and Clark reconnaissance expedition. For us Lakota, our neighbors, and our buffalo relatives, it signaled the beginning of what was to become […]

• Animals

Now Designated Separately, Two African Elephant Species are Facing Extinction

• #30x30
• elephants
• endangered
• International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• IUCN
• red list
• threatened
• World Wildlife Fund
• WWF

Last week the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released a new Red List conservation assessment for African elephants, evaluating the status of both the savanna elephant and the smaller forest elephant. 

Why This Matters: The IUCN Red List currently lists over 35,000 threatened species of plants, animals, insects, and even fungi. A UN report found that one million species could be threatened with extinction in the coming decades due to climate change, illegal poaching and trafficking, and habitat destruction.

• Politics

The Public is Ready to Recycle as Congress Reintroduces Sweeping Plastics Reform

• #BreakFreeFromPlastic
• Ocean Plastic
• plastic
• pollution
• recycling
• World Wildlife Fund
• WWF

Last week, federal legislators reintroduced the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, which would pass sweeping recycling and single-use plastic regulations.  Experts from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) say that this bill has come at the right time, publishing a national poll that found 86% of Americans believe the U.S. must transition from a throw-away economy to one that emphasizes reuse and recycling.

Why This Matters: The U.S. is the largest plastic polluter in the world but only recycles 8.7% of its plastics. Much of that plastic takes the form of consumer packaging like plastic bags, wrappers, straws, and more.

• Animals

A Common Pesticide Is Making Bees Insomniacs

• bee
• endangered species
• honey bee
• pesticide
• sleep
• World Wildlife Fund

Two studies have found that bees and flies are losing sleep because of a common pesticide disrupting their internal clocks. In one study, researchers found that bumblebees that drank nectar laced the pesticide neonicotinoids had a much harder time foraging. Meanwhile, the second study found that flies exposed to pesticides called neonicotinoids had drastically different movement patterns.

Why this Matters: According to the WWF, 90% of wild plants and 75% of global crops depend on pollination. Bees are incredibly important in helping plants grow.

• Politics

Top Ten Stories of 2020: Plastic Pollution Solutions Begin to Emerge

• enzyme
• plastic
• plastic waste
• recycling
• World Wildlife Fund
• zero waste

The pandemic changed attitudes about many environmental issues — and plastic pollution was no exception.  During lockdown, the extent of our dependence on plastic, and the amount of plastic waste we are generating from just our day to day lives became abundantly clear.