Featured Image Credit: uncommoncaribbean.com
The Endangered Species Act was passed back in the 1970s. Americans were becoming more aware about the problems facing animals in their country and decided to do something about it.
The protections offered by the Endangered Species Act have allowed many different populations of animals the protections they need to recover. One example is manatees, under protection from the ESA the population had been rebounding well.
Unfortunately, the Endangered Species Act is facing big changes that could potentially limit the effectiveness of the legislation.
The proposed revisions are aimed to remove protections from animals that will be affected by climate change. So, if the habitat of a potential endangered species is threatened by climate change, then they may not be able to receive any protections.
The new wording indicated that protections for animals “experiencing threats stemming from melting glaciers, sea level rise, or reduced snowpack” may not be prudent.
Basically, the new wording would like to ignore the potential effects of a changing global climate. Unfortunately, that could leave vulnerable animals unprotected.
One animal that stands to lose from this new wording is sea turtles. These species are particularly sensitive to climate change effects. If the new wording is effectively implemented, then sea turtles and other species may not have access to the protections they need.
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