Center for Biological Diversity
Pop X
No. 69, Aug. 19, 2016
Equal Access to the Sun

This time of year we're all feeling the heat. But when it comes to harnessing the power of the sun, we no longer share equal access: Many policies and financing options for distributed-solar energy are biased in favor of richer communities. Thankfully a new government program aims to change that.

President Obama recently unveiled the Clean Energy Savings For All Initiative, which will work to bring 1 gigawatt of solar to low- and moderate-income families by 2020 -- a tenfold increase over the target set in his Climate Action Plan to install 100 megawatts of renewable energy on federally assisted affordable housing. In addition to promoting innovative financing and technical assistance, the project will promote energy efficiency and scale up training so more workers can take advantage of clean-energy jobs.

This is a step in the right direction -- the only way we can shift to the just and wildlife-friendly energy system we need is if everyone has equal access to solar power. In the coming months, the Center will continue expanding our work to make solar energy more accessible, so stay tuned and stay cool out there.

For the wild,
Stephanie Feldstein Stephanie Feldstein
Population and Sustainability Director
P.S. Today's world population is: 7,450,594,026. We can still save room for wildlife -- spread the word and share the newsletter below.

The Population Drain on Water Resources

Drinking glassesClimate change often takes the brunt of the blame when it comes to water scarcity, but a recent review of scientific evidence by the Worldwatch Institute found that there may be another issue at the root of the crisis, too: human population growth. While climate change may increase or decrease water availability, depending on factors like precipitation trends and evaporation, the logic when it comes to population is simple (and supported by research): More people in an area always means less water available per person.

As human population hurtles toward 10 billion by mid-century, it'll put even more pressure on our finite water resources. And it's not just the number of people, but also how we use water that increases demand. (Keep reading for our latest YouTube vlog discussing this issue.) Of course, that doesn't let climate change off the hook. Although much of the research found population to have a greater impact than climate on water availability, both issues were identified as serious threats to water supplies. We can only quench our global thirst by addressing both climate change and population growth.

 
 
Crowded Planet vlog still Vegetables
Video: Feeling Thirsty?

Half of all urban water supplies are used to keep the grass a little greener; in the Southwest, that number jumps to 80 percent of water for outdoor landscaping. With so much water being used -- and wasted -- we're flushing our rivers down the drain. And we're not the only ones who need water to survive. In our latest Crowded Planet vlog, Leigh Moyer discusses desert living, drought, thirsty kit foxes and what we can do to help make sure there's enough water for all of us -- including wildlife. Watch the video.

Choose Wild Recipe Contest

Enter our first-ever Choose Wild Veggie Recipe Contest. Your favorite Earth-friendly recipe can help inspire others to "choose wild" by adding more plant-strong meals to their diets and cutting back on meat, dairy and seafood. We're looking for all types of easy and creative veggie-based recipes that anyone can make at home to eat less meat and save more wildlife. Submit your own original recipe and photo by Sept. 16; winning recipes will be featured on our website. For rules and an online entry form, visit the contest webpage.

 
Bring Back the Bears -- Take Action
California flag Bring Back the Bears video still Grizzly bear
Missing in Action

Grizzly bears grace the California state flag, even though they've been absent from the wilds of the Golden State since the last one was shot in 1924.

Without grizzly bears around, other California archetypes make their case in our newly released videos to be featured on the flag instead.

Take action to support the reintroduction of grizzly bears to California's Sierra Nevada, where 8,000 square miles of wild habitat await them.

 
 
The Cost of Living in a Material World

CityscapeIn case there was any doubt that overconsumption was on the rise, a new United Nations report found that extraction of the Earth's resources tripled over the past four decades. This is bad news for wildlife and the wild lands stripped for metals, fossil fuels and other materials, but it's also a problem for us -- according to the experts behind the report, the environmental devastation "is already having a severe impact on human health and people's quality of life."

Not surprisingly, North America topped the list for annual per capita material consumption. It's no wonder that Earth Overshoot Day -- the day when we used up all the resources the Earth can replenish in a year -- came earlier than ever in 2016. Ever since August 8, we've been living in planetary debt. But we don't have to keep operating this way. For Earth Overshoot Day, the Center's Population and Sustainability team published a series of articles on Medium about how we can start to pay our debt to the planet. Read, share and add your thoughts to our pieces on population, food, water, energy and consumerism.
 
Photo credits: Stephanie Feldstein staff photo; jars of water by John Gateley/Flickr; still from Crowded Planet video courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; vegetables by Cybele Knowles/Flickr; California flag; Bring Back the Bears video still courtesy Center for Biological Diversity and Gyro; grizzly bear by dougbrown47/Flickr; cityscape by egnaro/Flickr.
 

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