center for biological diversity

Kunming Declaration: Nature Defenders Warn Global Biodiversity Pledge Lacks Urgency

Kunming Declaration: Nature Defenders Warn Global Biodiversity Pledge Lacks Urgency

By Jessica Corbett More than 100 countries on Wednesday concluded a round of negotiations on global efforts to restore and protect the variety of life on Earth by pledging “urgent and integrated action” to achieve “transformative change, across all sectors of the economy and all parts of society.” While conservation advocacy groups worldwide welcomed the […]

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    New Video Shows Damage Wrought by Trump’s Border Wall

    New Video Shows Damage Wrought by Trump’s Border Wall

    Drone footage of new border wall in New Mexico shows that the Trump administration’s border militarization is already damaging ecosystems and wildlife. Trump waived 25 laws that protect clean air, clean water, public lands and endangered wildlife to speed construction of 20 miles of new walls. The video, taken by the Center for Biological Diversity […]

    Trump Nominates ‘Walking Conflict of Interest’ David Bernhardt to Permanently Replace Zinke as Interior Secretary

    Trump Nominates ‘Walking Conflict of Interest’ David Bernhardt to Permanently Replace Zinke as Interior Secretary

    President Donald Trump officially nominated David Bernhardt—a former energy lobbyist environmental groups have described as a “walking conflict of interest”—to officially take over as interior secretary after Ryan Zinke stepped down in December 2018 following various scandals. “It’s a humbling privilege to be nominated to lead a Department whose mission I love, to accomplish the […]

    ‘As Trumpian As it Gets’: Coal Lobbyist Andrew Wheeler Moves Closer to Full-Time EPA Spot

    ‘As Trumpian As it Gets’: Coal Lobbyist Andrew Wheeler Moves Closer to Full-Time EPA Spot

    Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Andrew Wheeler is one step closer to deregulating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The former coal lobbyist, who critics say is even worse for the environment than his scandal-plagued predecessor Scott Pruitt, secured a key approval by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, sending President Trump‘s […]

    Massive Arizona Sprawl Development Threatens ‘Oasis in the Desert’

    Massive Arizona Sprawl Development Threatens ‘Oasis in the Desert’

    Conservation groups filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of a permit that allows a huge master-planned sprawl development project near Benson, Arizona to proceed. The Villages at Vigneto would transform 12,167 acres of largely undeveloped habitat into 28,000 residences, 3 million square feet of commercial space, four golf courses, […]

    Renewed Hope for Eastern Monarch Butterfly?

    Renewed Hope for Eastern Monarch Butterfly?

    The yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico, released Wednesday, shows an increase of 144 percent from last year’s count and is the highest count since 2006. That’s good news for a species whose numbers had fallen in recent years, but conservationists say the monarch continues to need Endangered Species Act protection. The count […]

    Return of Supersonic Planes Would Be a Dirty, Noisy Climate Disaster

    Return of Supersonic Planes Would Be a Dirty, Noisy Climate Disaster

    The return of supersonic airplanes would result in 96 million metric tons of carbon pollution per year, according to a new study released Wednesday by the International Council on Clean Transportation. “In our era of runaway climate change, swapping fuel efficiency for speed is a devil’s bargain,” said Clare Lakewood, a senior attorney at the […]

    3 Newborn Endangered Right Whales Inspire Hope for Species

    3 Newborn Endangered Right Whales Inspire Hope for Species

    Whale watchers and researchers are rejoicing after a third North Atlantic right whale calf was documented this winter, especially after the previous calving season resulted in no confirmed births. A whale mother known as 1204 and the newborn were seen off Florida’s northeast coast last week. A young right whale calf and its mother, 1204, […]

    Small Colorful Fish Gets Endangered Species Protection

    Small Colorful Fish Gets Endangered Species Protection

    A small, bright fish found in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama will start the new year on the Endangered Species list, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) reported Thursday. The trispot darter fish was thought to be entirely extinct in Alabama for more than 50 years until it was discovered in 2008 in Little Canoe Creek. […]