TAKE ACTION

Here is how you can help protect America's Arctic today!

Let your elected officials know that you support protections for America's Arctic.

What happens in America's Arctic impacts everyone on Earth! This pristine but fragile landscape is one of the most culturally and ecologically sensitive regions on the planet, and is vital for global biodiversity and climate mitigation. Use the tools below to let America's leaders know that you want lasting protections for the Arctic Refuge and Western Arctic.

Follow the steps below to send a letter to the US Government. You can use our prepopulated letter or write your own. Be sure to:

Step 1

1. Identify yourself.

Example: “I am contacting you as a resident of [city, state] and one of your constituents”

Step 2

2. Include a clear request for action.

Example: “Please secure protections for America's Arctic."

Step 3

3. Tell them why you feel strongly about your request.

Example: “The American Arctic impacts everyone and is too biologically and culturally important to risk.”

Step 4

4. Keep it short and polite.

Example: “Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns”

Email subject: Please safeguard the Arctic Refuge and Western Arctic

I am writing to express my concern for fossil fuels infrastructure development in the ecologically sensitive North Slope of Alaska, and to ask that you take every possible measure to safeguard the Arctic Refuge (ANWR) and Western Arctic (NPR-A). What happens in America's Arctic impacts everyone on Earth. It is vital to global biodiversity, rich Indigenous history, and the successful mitigation of severe climate impacts. America has a responsibility to protect this pristine and sensitive region for the wellbeing of our planet and future generations.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Take me to Democracy.io

WHAT'S GOING ON? | On Sep 6, 2023 President Biden canceled the remaining illegal leases in the Arctic Refuge and announced new protections for +12 million acres of Special Areas in the Western  Arctic/Reserve and a strengthened environmental review of the Congressionally mandated oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic Refuge. 

These measured are exciting positive progress on Arctic conservation! By canceling the remaining unlawful leases issued under Present Trump in the Arctic Refuge, the Biden Administration has demonstrated its commitment to Indigenous rights, our climate, and biodiversity. At the same time, summer 2023 brought an onslaught of shattered heat records and climate-driven natural disasters, and the urgency to take bold, decisive action as a global climate leader could not be more imperative. That's why we're asking President Biden to double down on his recent conservation measures, and do more to permanently protect the American Arctic. 

WHO IS DOING IT? | President Biden

America's Arctic has faced a recent onslaught of setbacks from oil and gas leases under President Trump to the recent approval of ConocoPhillips' Willow Project. President Biden's recent measured to strengthen conservation of Arctic lands is a move in the right direction. Now is the time to urge the Biden administration to take additional bold actions to help sustain Alaska Native communities, safeguard vital wildlife and migration routes, and rollback the threat of oil and gas development on this environmentally critical land. 

WHY DOES IT MATTER? | America's Arctic is vital to Indigenous peoples, iconic wildlife, and global climate mitigation

The Arctic is warming 4x faster than the rest of the planet. A healthy Arctic stabilizes the jet stream, reducing extreme weather events like the recent record flooding in Vermont and catastrophic fires across Hawaii and the western US. It's an enormous carbon sink for the entire planet, mitigating the worst impacts of climate change all around the globe. It is the ancestral homeland of Indigenous Peoples who depend upon access to clean water and unpolluted resources for traditional livelihoods and food security. And it is vital habitat for American wildlife like polar bears, bowhead whales, caribou, and wolves. 

Watch the video below to learn more on how America's Arctic impacts everyone on Earth, and and explore the entire 5-part series of 1 minute videos for how the Arctic impacts global biodiversity, economies, climate and food webs. 

 

BUT WILLOW WAS ALREADY APPROVED. CAN NEW MEASURES REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? | Yes! We can't afford to give up. Key protections could keep oil and gas out of most of the critical carbon sink areas and migration routes.

We would love to see the entirety of America's Arctic permanently protected and we won't stop fighting for that! But in the meantime, it's critical that we push for every inch of protection we can, backed up by broad public support. President Biden's new conservation measured open the door to expanding protections for some of the most critical ecological sites within the Western Reserve and reversing Trump-era oil and gas leasing inside the Arctic Refuge. With positive momentum on our side, NOW is the moment to let President Biden know we support his push for Arctic protections, and want him to make those protections as strict and far reaching as possible. 

OK! WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? | Send a message to the White House and let them know you are watching what happens in America's Arctic.

Follow the steps above to use our letter - or draft your own - to let the White House know you care what happens in America's Arctic and want to see permanent protections for this sacred landscape.