[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition to demand Congress take urgent action to protect
whales from rising sea temperatures.

Dear MoveOn member, 

The ocean is hotter than ever.^1

And it's catastrophic for the thousands of animals that inhabit our
oceans—especially for whales. Orcas, belugas, and blue whales are impacted
by a number of threats, from ship strikes to oil and gas development, but
nothing threatens their existence more than climate change.^2 

That's why we need to address the effects of a warming planet NOW before
it's too late. Yet Congress has been slow to pass critical legislation to
stop climate change in its tracks. [ [link removed] ]Will you sign the petition demanding
that Congress urgently push climate change policies that protect whales?

Demand that Congress take urgent action on climate change to protect
whales and our oceans. 

[3]Sign the petition

Burning fossil fuels for energy, industrial processes, and transportation
is trapping greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and causing Earth's
temperature to rise—and we're suffering the consequences.^3 From more
intense natural disasters to food shortages and the melting of polar ice
caps, climate change will and is impacting everything on the planet.

For whales, the effects have been devastating. Every degree hotter the
ocean gets, whale food sources, habitat, and health are threatened. When
temperatures rise, populations of salmon decline, leaving orcas without
the food source critical for their survival.^4 A study looking at humpback
whale populations in the Pacific Northwest estimates that the impacts of
marine heat waves in the area have resulted in the death of 7,000 of this
already endangered species.^5

We've known that ocean temperatures have been steadily rising for over a
decade now, but scientists are ringing the alarm that the rate of warming
is rapidly accelerating.^6 Time is running out for us to stop climate
change in its tracks and save the whales.

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition now to save whales from climate change destruction.

Of all the sea creatures, whales—orcas, humpbacks, belugas, blue whales
and more—are some of the most beautiful and intelligent creatures on our
planet. As the largest mammals in the sea, they support marine
biodiversity, population control, and more. Protecting whales and their
habitats isn't just crucial for the conservation of these majestic
creatures but also for the overall health of marine ecosystems.

And saving the whales will actually reinforce climate change efforts. The
ocean is responsible for capturing more than 30% of all carbon dioxide
emissions, and whales are an important part of that.^7 Whales store
massive amounts of carbon dioxide in their bodies, and when they naturally
die, they sink to the ocean floor and sequester that carbon for
centuries.^8 So while we need to combat climate change to save the whales,
saving the whales will also help us mitigate climate change—a win-win for
everyone.

If we don’t take action NOW to slow the effects of climate change and save
the whales, we risk destroying our oceans entirely. [ [link removed] ]Add your name to
demand that Congress move fast on climate change to protect whales and the
integrity of our oceans.

Thanks for all you do.

–Kendra, Aliya, Jensine, Oscar, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "2024 Begins With More Record Heat Worldwide," The New York Times,
February 7, 2024
[link removed]

2. "Whales and Climate Change: Big Risks to the Ocean's Biggest Species,"
NOAA Fisheries, accessed March 6, 2024
[link removed]

3. "The Causes of Climate Change," NASA Global Climate Change, accessed
March 6, 2024
[link removed]

4. "2024 Begins With More Record Heat Worldwide," The New York Times,
February 7, 2024
[link removed]

5. "A.I. Sorts Public Photos to Show Recovering Pacific Humpback Whales
Hit Climate Ceiling," NOAA Fisheries, February 27, 2024
[link removed]

6. "Earth Was Due for Another Year of Record Warmth. But This Warm?" The
New York Times, December 26, 2023
[link removed]

7. "Whales and Carbon Sequestration: Can Whales Store Carbon?," NOAA
Fisheries, February 13, 2024
[link removed]

8. "To fight climate change, save the whales, some scientists say,"
Mongabay, March 1, 2021
[link removed]

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