Many outdoors people, including hunters, anglers, hikers, and bikers have seen the effects of climate change on Arizona with their own eyes.

Family-favorite places have been lost to wildfires, rivers and streams diminished due to drought, and each year, more supplemental water is needed to support many of our wildlife populations. The good news? We already have the tools to combat climate change – all that’s lacking is the willpower of decision makers. 

That’s where AWF comes in. We are uniquely positioned to use our science-based, nonpartisan approach to make sure Arizona is doing its part to help solve this crisis of a lifetime and restore the problems this crisis has already created for hunters and anglers. We believe our state can be a leader on climate action in this country, but we need to come together to advocate for clean air, renewable energy, and other common-sense policies that will benefit our neighborhoods, parks, and wildlife habitats. 

The science is clear on what we need to do:

• Safeguard wildlife and wildlife habitat from climate change. Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to the potential effects of climate change. Management to reduce other stressors such as water pollution, extreme flooding caused by rapid high- volume runoff from impervious surfaces and agricultural areas, invasive species, and habitat fragmentations has great potential to reduce the effects of a changing climate.

• Significantly expand large-scale conservation funding investments for wildlife at the national level. Greater funding will enable agencies to better manage species and the habitats they depend upon in the face of the stresses caused by climate change, saving both wildlife and taxpayer dollars from costly recovery efforts.

• Support actions that reduce emissions in our transportation and energy sectors. The EPA and implementing state governments need the support of hunters, anglers, and conservationists to speak up in defense of the Clean Power Plan and the implementation of state-based clean energy solutions.

• Invest in clean, wildlife-friendly energy and improve energy efficiency. We must transition to cleaner, less-polluting forms of energy. Oil, gas, coal and other fossil fuel development degrade and fragment habitat and exacerbate climate stressors for wildlife. A serious effort to reduce climate pollution must include investing in clean, wildlife-friendly energy sources such as on and offshore wind, solar, sustainable bioenergy, and geothermal.