Environmental Threats

Healthy environments support healthy wildlife. 21st century threats to our environment, comprising invasive species, disease, pollution and climate warming, put wildlife populations at risk. The National Wildlife Federation unites Americans to address these environmental threats and protect our wildlife and their habitats. By doing so, we are not only helping our wildlife flourish, we are also helping people live healthier lives.
Rachel Carson attracted widespread attention to the ecological dangers of pesticide use in 1962, prompting a concern for our environment that reverberates today. As our nation's population continues to grow, our environment is facing increasing tension. The National Wildlife Federation is fighting for more assertive policies for addressing modern threats and restoring healthy wildlife populations, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sequestration, protecting populations at risk of toxic chemicals, contaminants and non-native invaders. We are also looking for innovative ways to solve current problems and prevent new threats from arising.
Facing Climate Change
Climate change is exacerbating many of the environmental problems we face today. It poses a significant threat in the long term that demands our collective action to prevent its root causes and deal with its impacts.
Pollution caused by harmful emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, is the main cause of climate change. The vital efforts of the National Wildlife Federation include reducing greenhouse gas pollution through clean energy policies and projects that are friendly to wildlife, as well as reducing deforestation both nationally and internationally. Beyond our borders, we promote sustainable production methods through the development of market-based solutions and strategies for important agricultural products, such as palm oil, soybeans and biomaterials.
In addition to deforestation, the burning of fossil fuels contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The National Wildlife Federation addresses this problem by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and advocating for renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. In addition to preventive measures, the National Wildlife Federation is a leader in "climate-smart conservation", anticipating and integrating the new challenges created by climate change into our conservation efforts.
Fighting invasive species
Harmful invasive species, which disturb the balance of already delicate ecosystems, are second only to the loss of habitat in their systematic threat to native wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation is promoting the control, management and eradication of invasive species, as well as the narrowing or closing of roads for their propagation. This includes the Asian carp, which represents a great threat to wildlife in the Great Lakes ecosystem. The National Wildlife Federation also works to prevent the introduction of new invasive species by advocating restrictions around the ballast water of ships, which introduce invasive species into our waterways through the water they discharge.
In addition to our current work, the strategic plan of the National Wildlife Federation sets objectives for:
Identify and prevent the transfer of diseases between domestic livestock and native wildlife with a focus on chronic disease, brucellosis, tuberculosis and pneumonia.
Increase awareness of the potential risks to fish and wildlife posed by the release of synthetic organisms and develop a widely supported strategy to assess and reduce the ecological risks presented by these new technologies.
Develop and implement policies at multiple levels, including state, federal and national, to protect and restore fish and wildlife populations at risk from toxic chemicals, synthetic compounds and emerging contaminants.
By: Preeti Narula
Content: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Environmental-Threats