Pop X: Population, Sustainability and a Wilder Future for All.
Basketball hoop and ball

Friend,

March Madness is upon us. And as all the number one seeds prepare for the tournament, it's time to think about whether you want your own seeds to advance.

Put less punnily, it's time for all the male sports fans out there who don't want (more) children to think about scheduling a vasectomy.

With all those games on, you'll have plenty to entertain you while you're briefly benched. You could even get a team of players together — if you have like-minded friends — and make it a brosectomy.

Vasectomies are fully covered by most insurance plans and enable you to be an MVP of family planning. If you and your partner have decided your family is complete, a vasectomy is one of the most foolproof ways to prevent adding to our population unintentionally — which means you can help give wildlife like your favorite mascots, from wildcats to horned frogs, a better shot at surviving past the playoffs.

For the wild,

Stephanie Feldstein

Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
Center for Biological Diversity

P.S. Today's world population is: 7,690,295,048. We can still save room for wildlife — spread the word and share this email.

Monarch butterflies

Crowded Planet / This winter brought mixed news for monarch butterflies, with the eastern population surging 144 percent over last year's but the western population down to just 30,000 individuals. Listen to the Living on Earth interview with Center Scientist Tierra Curry to learn more about the monarchs' incredible migration and how we can help save them.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Population / 1 in 3 Consider Climate in Family Planning

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made waves with an Instagram video raising the question of whether it's still OK to have children in the era of climate crisis. Conservative pundits jumped to accuse Ocasio-Cortez of everything from fascism to promoting a "no-child policy," but the reality is that the congresswoman isn't alone in worrying about climate change when it comes to family planning.

Studies have found that 1 in 3 young adults choosing to have fewer children factored the climate into their decisions. Some people are more concerned about the effect of climate change on their children, while others worry about the effect of their children on the climate. But both perspectives reflect a growing awareness that the planet can't sustain the pressure of our population and destructive consumption and production habits.

Read more in Vice.

Cafeteria

Earth-friendly Diet / Dietary Guidelines Update Ahead

The advisory committee that will shape the latest updates to our national nutrition recommendations has finally been formed. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, updated every five years, influence nutrition policy and education and determine what food is served at schools, hospitals, government cafeterias and other institutions.

In 2015 the advisory committee recommended including sustainability considerations in the guidelines. The idea has already been adopted by other countries. It received enormous public support — and heavy backlash from the livestock industry. The Trump administration has taken unprecedented steps to prevent the newly appointed committee from slipping any mention of environmental impacts into the next report.

Pacific Standard published an article about the politics at play in recommending what Americans should eat. As the article states, the expected absence of sustainability in the 2020 guidelines "would mark another victory for special interests."

With the Trump administration's heavy hand in the process and two members of its advisory committee nominated by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, it will be critical that we speak up about the need for evidence-based guidelines that promote a plant-forward diet. We'll keep you posted on how to do that during the public comment period.

Bee and flower

Take Action / Stop Emergency Pesticide Spraying

As studies continue to show alarming declines in insect populations, the EPA has issued "emergency" approvals to spray a highly toxic insecticide on more than 16 million acres of crops known to attract bees. Tell the EPA to stop approving emergency pesticide exemptions.

Rooftop solar

Wild Energy / Bringing More Solar to the Sunshine State

Florida's sunny weather has earned it a ranking as one of the states with the highest potential to produce rooftop solar energy. Yet its weak policy landscape makes it one of the worst in the country for distributed-solar development.

We can't afford to wait on policymakers and utilities dragging their feet on the just transition to a clean, renewable energy system. And we don't have to. Rural electric cooperatives, which are owned by their customers rather than an investment company, present an opportunity to put power back in the hands of communities. In Florida these co-ops serve approximately 2.3 million people, who can help change Florida's energy system.

This month, the Center — along with the NAACP Florida chapter and the We Own It! Network — will launch our Rural Electric Co-ops webinar series to help Floridians better understand how their electric co-ops work and how to get engaged to bring equitable solar energy to their communities. Register for the webinar today.

Recycling

Overconsumption / Recycling Crisis Solution Is Upstream

Until recently, most recyclables from the United States were processed in China. But this past year China restricted what recyclables it imported in response to high levels of contamination. As a result, communities across the country stopped accepting plastics and mixed paper in their recycling bins. Others began stockpiling recyclables waiting for domestic companies to buy them, while some communities are dumping them in the landfill or burning them.

But the only real way to fix recycling is to prevent waste from being generated in the first place. That means stopping the construction of toxic plants producing more unnecessary plastic. And shifting markets and policies away from a disposable economy. But, as this article in The Atlantic on "the end of recycling" points out, "that's a hard sell in the United States, where consumer spending accounts for 68 percent of the GDP."

Wolf

Five Wild Picks / Save America's Wolves

In the single worst blow to wolf recovery in more than 40 years, the Trump administration rolled out plans to strip protection from nearly every wolf in the lower 48 states. In the wake of this devastating news, the Center mobilized our activist network with more than 60 events across the country. The fight is far from over. Here are five ways for you to help wolves today:

1) Tell Trump to call off his war on wolves. Sign and share the petition urging Trump to drop his plans to end wolf recovery.

2) Gather comments to protect wolves. Request an outreach packet to help flood Trump's office with letters from your neighbors, friends and family to save America's wolves.

3) Plan a "Wild for Wolves" Rendezvous. Host an event to connect with other wolf lovers in your community, take action and plan for the fight ahead.

4) Show your support with our downloadable wolf signs. Use our collection of "Call of the Wild" graphics by sharing them on social media or printing for when you table or march for wolves.

5) Take extinction off your plate. You have at least three chances a day to show your support for wolves by choosing to eat less meat and more plant-based foods.

Follow Us
 Facebook  Twitter  YouTube  Instagram  Medium

Center for Biological Diversity   |   Saving Life on Earth

Donate now to support the Center's work.

Photo credits: Basketball and hoop via Pixabay; Stephanie Feldstein staff photo; monarch butterflies by Patrick Donnelly/Center for Biological Diversity; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by nrkbeta/Wikimedia; cafeteria courtesy USDA; bee and flower by Christian Birkholz/Pixabay; solar panel by kincuri/Flickr; recycling by avlxyz/Flickr; wolf by Pixel-mixer/Pixabay.

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