From the Inbox: 72 hours to Act: Stop a double-barreled threat to sea turtles and polar bears

Save Sea Turtles & Polar Bears Big Oil’s lobbyists are working to deep-six legislation to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by insisting on more dangerous offshore drilling. Urge your senators to pass comprehensive legislation to address climate change and reject Big Oil’s call for more offshore drilling. The next 72 hours are key. Please help us send at least 45,000 messages to the Senate by 5 PM Wednesday. Dear Friend Offshore oil drilling in the Gulf threatens the survival of endangered sea turtles, while in Alaska it further imperils threatened polar bears. In both places climate change is robbing these imperiled animals of the vital habitat they need to survive. Urge your senators to address these threats… and save America’s sea turtles and polar bears from extinction. As soon as Wednesday, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman are expected to announce legislation to address the impacts of climate change and move America toward a new energy future. Unfortunately, Big Oil’s high-paid lobbyists are swarming Capitol Hill, enlisting allies in the Senate to sink this important legislation by attaching dangerous offshore drilling provisions to the bill. Don’t let them get away with it. Urge your senators to stand up for a clean climate bill and a clean energy future, and to reject more offshore oil drilling that threatens our coasts and our wildlife. The ongoing offshore oil crisis in the Gulf – and its potentially devastating effects on nesting sea turtles, endangered sperm whales and other wildlife – makes two points abundantly clear: 1. Offshore drilling for oil and gas is a dangerous, dirty proposition; and 2. Our nation must reduce its dangerous dependence on fossil fuels now. America can meet these challenges head-on by passing comprehensive legislation to address climate change and move America towards a cleaner energy future… but your senators need to hear from you today! Unless we address climate change and reduce fossil fuel emissions, sea levels will continue to rise, submerging vital nesting grounds for imperiled turtles. Sea ice in the Arctic will continue to disappear, causing more polar bears to starve and drown. And if Big Oil is successful in its drive to industrialize our coasts, we’ll see more carbon pollution, more climate change – and of course more devastating oil spills. Send a message to your senators now and urge them to say “Yes!” to comprehensive legislation to address climate change and “No!” to more dangerous offshore drilling. The next 72 hours will be key to shaping the debate on this important legislation. Please take action now. For the Wild Ones, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife