Number: 2007-11
WHEREAS, global climate change science has shown that carbon dioxide emissions have a direct impact on global warming, and that rapid global warming is detrimental to most wildlife species; and
WHEREAS, automobile emissions, both from driving and time spent idling, are a major source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States; and
WHEREAS, our dependency on foreign oil threatens the energy security of the United States; and
WHEREAS, manufacturing vehicles that get better fuel economy is a promising option for long-term reductions of America’s oil dependency; and
WHEREAS, implementing smarter community designs that reduce sprawl and increase use of mass transit are also an important part of any strategy to reduce America’s oil dependency; and
WHEREAS, the expansion of urban areas often leads to an increase in global warming pollution through destruction of natural systems that sequester carbon, and increased energy demand from community designs that require driving for access to employment, goods and services; and
WHEREAS, scientific studies have shown urban areas retain significantly more heat as compared to rural areas, and this “Urban Heat Island Effect” may exacerbate the impact of increasing temperatures due to global warming on urban communities; and
WHEREAS, the expansion of urban areas and loss of natural landscapes to buildings and roads will expand the “Urban Heat Island Effect” to larger areas;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 30-31, 2007, in Washington, D.C., hereby urges the President, Congress, and state and local governments to take immediate action to reduce U.S. consumption of oil for transportation through a range of policy options, including improving fuel economy of vehicles, improving urban planning to reduce sprawl, increasing use of mass transit, and promoting alternative fuels that significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and are developed using sustainably managed crops that integrate energy production with soil, water, and wildlife habitat conservation.