Pop X: Population, Sustainability and a Wilder Future for All.
Elephant

Dear Center Supporter,

Elephants are in the spotlight: The Trump administration lifted a ban on importing African elephant trophies last week, faced huge public outcry, then apparently reversed its decision. Over the weekend Trump tweeted he didn't believe the "horror show" of big-game hunting helped conservation.

This political whiplash shows that lifting the ban was an arbitrary decision in the first place, and it's going to take more than a few tweets to ensure elephants stay protected. As Center senior attorney Tanya Sanerib said, "These incredibly imperiled creatures need a lot more than vague promises."

That's why the Center filed suit this week to permanently stop the Trump administration from reversing the ban on trophy imports from elephants as well as ending recently approved lion-trophy imports. Elephants face dire threats from poaching, as well as habitat loss and human-elephant conflicts. But there's still time to save them.

For the wild,

Stephanie Feldstein

Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
Center for Biological Diversity

P.S. Today's world population is: 7,582,748,539. We can still save room for wildlife — spread the word and share this email.

Center for Biological Diversity at All Souls Procession 2017

Crowded Planet / Center volunteers joined the All Souls Procession in Tucson, Ariz., to honor extinct wildlife and highlight the plight of species threatened by human population growth and overconsumption. Learn more about the event.

Solar panels

Wild Energy / Church Faces Rooftop Solar Fight

North Carolina's monopoly utility Duke Energy is trying to stop climate-justice nonprofit NC WARN from providing rooftop solar panels to a community church in Greensboro. After a recent controversial decision blocking the nonprofit from providing solar panels to the church, the case is headed to the North Carolina Supreme Court. The Center submitted an amicus brief in support of NC WARN that was signed by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and Food & Water Watch.

This case is representative of a nationwide trend of utilities and fossil fuel interest groups trying to stifle solar development via anti-solar policy and deceptive arguments. Read our recent op-ed about utility-driven myths holding back rooftop solar in High Country News.

Overconsumption / The Season of Waste

Vegan mashed potatoes and gravy

Thanksgiving weekend officially kicks off the holidays — and between now and the New Year, Americans will indulge in a season of overconsumption and waste. Over the next five weeks, U.S. households will generate 25 percent more trash than usual, including an extra 5 million tons in food waste alone. You can still reduce the footprint of your holidays by recapturing the spirit of gratitude and following senior food campaigner Jennifer Molidor's tips for a wildlife-friendly Thanksgiving throughout the season.

Endangered Species Condoms

Population / Condoms for the Holidays

Hoping to score some Endangered Species Condoms to get the population conversation started at your holiday parties or give away as stocking stuffers? Submit your request by Dec. 8.

Organic farm

Earth-friendly Diet / A Sustainable Food Solution

The more than 2 billion pounds of pesticides sold in the United States each year are a serious threat to pollinators, amphibians, fish and other wildlife. Yet the chemical industry wants us to believe that pesticides are a necessary part of growing enough crops to feed the global population. Not true, according to a new analysis published in the journal Nature Communications. The study found that organic agriculture could meet the world's food needs.

The key to feeding the world with organic agriculture, write the authors, is cutting food waste in half and drastically reducing meat and dairy production so more crops are grown for people instead of livestock. These strategies would also have the benefit of conserving water and land, reducing pollution and habitat degradation, and curbing greenhouse gas emissions to help meet international climate targets. In other words, prioritizing organic agriculture would create a sustainable, wildlife-friendly food system.

Read more about the study in the Los Angeles Times.

Take Action / Vaquitas on the Brink

Vaquita

In a dramatic, 11th-hour gambit to save vaquitas from extinction, the U.S. Navy used trained dolphins to help scientists capture and protect the small, endangered porpoises. Unfortunately the mission was abandoned after one of the endangered porpoises died shortly after capture. Now the species' best hope is for the Mexican government to get gillnets out of their habitat and halt all illegal fishing. Read more about the vaquita's cautionary tale for endangered wildlife, then tell Amazon to stop selling Mexican shrimp until vaquitas are safe from deadly fishing gear.

Muir Woods National Park, Calif.

Five Wild Picks / 5 Things to Do Instead of Shopping

The weekend after Thanksgiving is famous for being a frenzy of consumerism and has become an icon of reckless overconsumption and waste. Black Friday isn't much of a deal for the environment. Here are five ideas to help you skip the crowds, save money and kick off an Earth-friendly holiday season:

1) Spend the day outdoors instead of at the mall.

2) Join the resistance to stand for public lands.

3) Check off your gift list with our Greener Giving Guide.

4) Pick up one of the latest environmental books recommended by The Revelator.

5) Watch Growthbusters: Hooked on Growth to learn more about population and overconsumption.

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Photo credits: Elephant by John Schinker/Flickr; All Souls Procession courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; solar panels by Chandra Marsono/Flickr; vegan mashed potatoes and gravy by sweetbeetandgreenbean/Flickr; Endangered Species Condoms courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; organic farm by David Duran/Flickr; vaquita by Paula Olson/NOAA; Muir Woods National Park by miwok/Flickr.

Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702