I hope you had the chance to watch the documentary Racing Extinction recently. Defenders of Wildlife is proud to be a partner with the producers of this film to help bring to light the plight of countless species of wildlife on the brink of extinction.
Striking images trigger such strong emotions for us as human beings and this documentary provides that in spades. It is my hope that this will be a wake-up call to the world. I imagine each of us that watched this documentary was moved by different segments of it. For me, it was the rooftop scene with the massive number of shark fins, all prepared to go to market for shark fin soup, considered a delicacy to some and an abomination to many. Or the finless shark just slowly sinking to the ocean bottom after having its fin harvested and being tossed back in the water to die. It’s overwhelming to imagine the number of sharks that were caught, butchered of their fin and then thrown back into the ocean to suffer a slow and tortured death… all for a cup of soup.
In most cases like this, humans are the cause of a species decline. But the flip side is: humans can and should be the solution too.
And that is the real message of Racing Extinction. Under the banner of #StartWith1Thing, we are encouraging everyone who has been touched by this film to do something about it! Humankind has caused this crisis, and now it is time for us to collectively act to end it. We can all make changes in our lives: we can stand up to extinction, we can decrease the amount of carbon we generate, we can change what we eat, how we shop and the way we vote.
From clearly abhorrent practices like poaching elephants and rhinoceroses for ivory, to seemingly harmless actions like ordering seafood at a restaurant, communities everywhere are contributing to this mass extinction. #StartWith1Thing makes it easy for individuals to take immediate steps for positive change today. The campaign sheds light on the way food and energy choices impact endangered species and their precious habitats, providing meaningful steps individuals can take to protect species, both nearby and around the world.
The good news? There is progress all around us, and this effort builds on that progress with engagement and action.
So, #StartWith1Thing, then another, then another. Share your thoughts with friends, join us here at Defenders and let’s wake up the world! It will take all of us, caring enough to commit to action to combat the rising extinction crisis. Let’s do it together!
Here’s one thing you can start with:
Protect polar bears from oils spills!
As the Arctic warms, less ice means more ships traversing these waters, many carrying heavy fuel oil – a specific type of oil that produces more harmful emissions, would be nearly impossible to clean up in the Arctic environment. Ask officials to place a ban on heavy fuel oil use in the region, and reduce this threat to polar bears and other Arctic wildlife.
If you haven’t seen Racing Extinction, visit www.RacingExtinction.com to see where it is available.
Author
Jamie Rappaport Clark
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