Animals Footing the Bill of Oil and Coal

NOTE: This is a guest post from Leda Huta, Executive Director for the Endangered Species Coalition.

As we lumber ahead in this new global economy using the same fuels that we’ve used for the past 200 years, fighting the same old fights over oil and coal, wildlife is increasingly footing the bill.

Despite the incredible ingenuity, creativity and talent of Americans, our leaders have insisted on keeping our energy economy literally stuck in the age of dinosaurs–a time when the oil, coal and natural gas that we use today was being formed. Instead of moving forward, oil and gas industries, flush with record-breaking profits have wielded their power to keep us mired in oil. And the toll these industries exact on our nation’s disappearing wildlife has been severe.

Even with pictures of oil-soaked pelicans from the Deepwater Horizon disaster seared into our collective memories, these industries have not paused. The oil industry was not chastened by its failure and has not begun to proceed cautiously. Unhindered drilling continues in the Gulf, putting species such as the loggerhead sea turtles that narrowly escaped disaster in the last spill, at constant threat of another.

The Department of Interior has granted Shell Oil permission to begin incredibly risky drilling in the Arctic. A spill in the Beaufort or Chukchi Seas–the Polar Bear Seas–would be a catastrophe without a solution. No technology exists to clean a spill in these icy waters and the area is without the necessary infrastructure to support emergency operations. Yet, Shell is moving forward even though a spill could harm numerous threatened and endangered species–polar bears, Pacific walruses, northern sea otters, beluga whales, North Pacific right whales, Stellar’s eiders, and spectacled eiders to name a few.

Meanwhile, the nation’s largest business lobby, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is aggressively backing the species-killing Keystone XL Pipeline. If built as proposed, the Keystone XL Pipeline would immediately threaten wildlife. Among the species that would be harmed is the endangered American burying beetle–now limited to just 10 percent of its former range. The pipeline would further displace this endangered species and put the beetle at constant risk of a toxic spill.

Oil development isn’t the only harbinger of death for imperiled species. Coal is equally dangerous. From coal ash to mountain top removal, coal impacts come in many forms harming the Indiana bat, the Tan riffleshell (a mussel), and the Kentucky arrow darter (a fish). These species and more are being pushed to the brink of extinction by fossil fuel development. We need your help to demonstrate this deadly toll on imperiled wildlife and plants.

The Endangered Species Coalition is currently preparing our annual Top Ten Report. This year it highlights imperiled species most harmed by fossil fuels. A group of esteemed scientists will choose the top ten species.

We need you to help us demonstrate that Americans across the country worry about fossil fuels harming threatened and endangered species. The report will include an “activists’ choice” species–the species that Americans most want to protect from dirty fuels. Please take a minute and vote for the species you think is most harmed by fossil fuel development, extraction or transportation.

Continuing to rely on these dirty fossil fuels is a slow motion wildlife crisis. Our Top Ten Report will show that. Please add your voice to the report by voting today.

Photo credit: NOAA

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

richa b.

12:57PM PDT on Mar 20, 2012

i agree with Rossy O, this is everybodys problem ..If we stop needing fossil fuels then the Big Oils won't find it a viable income

send a green star

12:50PM PDT on Mar 20, 2012

well written :) thank you.

Cheryl B.

6:25AM PST on Nov 8, 2011

horrible but true

Rose B.

8:20AM PDT on Oct 20, 2011

The world's animal species are paying the price for man period.

Ruth R.

1:09PM PDT on Oct 9, 2011

Please stop the drilling.

Lisa N.

7:29AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

I just feel so bad for the injustices we have bestowed upon the Polar Bear. These amazing creatures have survived living in such harsh elements for years & years. And here comes man to make their very suvival even harder. Hoping & praying for them! Big Oil needs to stay the hell out of the Artic if they are to have even a chance, greedy sob's.

Lynn C.

8:46AM PDT on Sep 28, 2011

We're all footing the bill! The poor animals just show us what's coming down the pike for the entire planet - humans included!

Phil w.

3:52PM PDT on Sep 26, 2011

the real problem with oil and coal is that we keep buying it.

Mica V.

1:24PM PDT on Sep 26, 2011

This is heartbreaking. All of those unique and endangered animals are now even more at risk now that they have granted access to drill oil. I just pray nothing worse happens to this beautiful wildlife!!!!

Laurie H.

8:38AM PDT on Sep 25, 2011

This is a terrific and timely article that brings to the forefront man's dangerous and irresponsible need to use fossil fuels, without regard for our wild animals or planet. "LORD, PLEASE DON'T ALLOW THEM TO DRILL IN OUR PRECIOUS ARCTIC, NEXT!!!!" We all need to take measures of responsibility, to do our part, as much as possible. Let's not allow "Big Oil," to take over and make our choices for us. I don't think it's only about one particular species being effected---the problem is "ALL ANIMALS & PEOPLE AS WELL" are or will be---that's the "Big Picture." We CAN CHANGE THINGS----Let's try!!~~ Many Thanks for this one!!!!!~~~