Climate Change

Challenge:

America's sportsmen enjoy impressive opportunities for fishing and hunting because the conservation actions of the last century have delivered abundant and widely distributed populations of fish and game. But the geographic ranges of fish, wildlife and habitats we see today are likely to shift. Big game will have to adapt to changes in their forage base and alter their migration patterns. Changes in water quality and quantity will affect both saltwater and freshwater ecosystems and fisheries. Wetland losses predicted for the prairie pothole region could reduce waterfowl productivity in North America's duck-breeding "factory." Invasive species, parasites and disease-causing organisms may flourish in warmer temperatures, profoundly affecting upland game birds.

Strategy:

Sportsmen are likely to be among the first to experience the impacts of climate change. Their hunting and fishing opportunities in those places where they have enjoyed past successes and great memories are likely to be altered. How we address the challenges of global climate change now will dictate the sporting opportunities for future generations. In adapting to climate change, securing funding for wildlife management will be critical. The proper tools and resources will enable wildlife management agencies to take steps to monitor fish and wildlife resources and mitigate the effects of climate change.

In order to implement this strategy, the TRCP has established the Climate Change Working Group. This group of 20 scientists and fish and wildlife experts is working to ensure that the issue of climate change is properly addressed in order to conserve the resources that hunters and anglers use.

Action:

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (30^th – CA), Rep. John Dingell (15^th – MI), and Rep. Edward Markey (7^th – MA) have introduced the American Clean Energy and Security bill (ACES), which lays a strong and broad foundation for natural resources adaptation programs and ensures not just the health and vitality of our fish and wildlife resources but also the quality of life for our citizens that functioning ecosystems provide.

The ACES bill will work to limit the effects of global climate change by imposing a cap on greenhouse gas emissions while investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The bill also would create the Natural Resources Climate Change Adaptation Fund to assist federal and state agencies in implementing natural resources adaptation strategies and measures. The ACES bill includes a tiered allocation from carbon allowances auction revenue, with the adaptation programs receiving 1 percent from 2012 to 2021, 2 percent from 2022 to 2026 and 4 percent from 2027 to 2050.

A committee mark up of the ACES bill occurred the week of May 18, and on June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives voted its approval of the legislation.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s Climate Change Working Group has signed onto a set of principles to help guide federal decision makers as they craft policy to provide for wildlife adaptation in a changing climate. Read The Adaptation Answer.

Eight of the TRCP's partner hunting, fishing and conservation organizations have released Seasons' End, a new report detailing the impacts of climate change on the habitat and distribution of fish and game in the United States and implications for sustainable hunting and fishing. Sportsmen concerned about the future of hunting and fishing should read Seasons' End.

Join Hunters and Anglers for Responsible Development.

For more information about our climate change initiative, contact Bill Geer, director, the TRCP Center for Western Lands. For media inquiries, contact Katie McKalip, associate director of communications, the TRCP Center for Western Lands.