Today is World Oceans Day and it’s never been a better time to act

I’m reaching out with a time-sensitive message: today is World Oceans Day. But as I’m writing this email, Big Oil is putting our oceans and endangered Southern Resident orcas in danger.  Disastrous Big Oil projects are polluting our waters – threatening to wipe out the last 74 of these unique whales. These orcas are already mourning a recent loss to their family – a baby orca that disappeared shortly after being born near Christmas. And just one major oil spill could mean their extinction.   That’s why I need your help today: we’ve set an urgent $55,000 fundraising goal in honor of World Oceans Day today. Every contribution will go towards stopping Big Polluters in their tracks, working towards a healthier future for endangered Southern Resident orcas, and protecting our only Earth. Every cent counts – so please, will you donate anything you can today to set the pace for World Oceans Day and get us one step closer to meeting our must-hit goal? RUSH A WORLD OCEANS DAY GIFT The Southern Resident orcas are grieving, starving, and on the brink of extinction. Miscarriages are all too common, and young emaciated orca bodies have been found lifeless and separated from their families.   You may be familiar with the story of Tahlequah – an orca mother whose precious baby died just thirty minutes after she was born. Devastated, she carried her body over 1,000 miles before finally letting go.  Tahlequah’s story is a testament to how deeply connected orcas are to one another, and how intensely they feel emotion. They can become so distressed that they are driven even further into starvation – making them more vulnerable to human-driven threats like oil spills.  That’s why Big Shipping and Big Oil’s projects are serious threats. The proposed Roberts Bank T2 Terminal would bring more loud shipping traffic, making it harder for orcas to hunt with their sonar. The ever-increasing ship noise would also drive away the Chinook salmon that orcas eat. As if that isn’t bad enough, a massive oil pipeline expansion was recently completed, meaning a seven-fold increase in oil shipping through orca habitat. With the transport of oil, a disastrous spill is not a matter of “if”, but rather “when.” These projects could be enough to drive precious orcas to extinction – and we can’t let that happen.  The harm extends to local coastal communities, too. Those who once watched orcas thrive could instead be seeing oil-covered sea life washing up on their shores. People that make their living fishing could see their livelihoods devastated by the polluted waters and damaged fisheries. And the noise and air pollution generated by the massive ships from these projects will significantly impact the lives of countless people living nearby and endangered orcas alike! This isn’t the future we want to see.  If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate $15 immediately Donate $25 immediately Donate $50 immediately Donate another amount We need your help to protect Southern Resident orcas before we lose them forever and protect people and the planet from mega-polluting industries like Big Oil. At Friends of the Earth, we’re fighting tooth and nail to keep Big Polluters accountable and preserve our ocean habitats for the sake of threatened and endangered marine wildlife, people, and our entire planet. But we rely on support from generous activists like you – who know how high the stakes are and will fight day after day for our planet.  Every dollar you give today will go towards our $55,000 World Oceans Day goal and continue our critical work to preserve our oceans and the planet.   Rush a membership donation now and help protect Southern Resident orcas, our oceans, and our planet!  If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate $15 immediately Donate $25 immediately Donate $50 immediately Donate another amount Standing with you,    Marcie Keever    Oceans & vessels program director,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foeaction.org Connect:

Your Signature Is Needed: Will you help defend endangered orcas from Big Oil today?

 

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Endangered Southern Resident orcas are just one oil spill away from EXTINCTION. Take action now to STOP Big Oil! >>  As you read this, the majestic orcas of the Pacific Northwest are facing unprecedented threats to their survival, including two massive oil infrastructure projects that could jeopardize their very existence. These iconic marine mammals, cherished symbols of our oceans, are under siege from reckless fossil fuel development.  The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and the Roberts Bank T2 Terminal will bring the threats of noise pollution, toxic oil spills, and habitat degradation to the doorstep of fragile orca territory. The relentless hum of ship propellers, the deafening roar of more and more oil tanker traffic, and the constant threat of catastrophic oil spills are pushing these vulnerable creatures to the brink.  Rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and dwindling prey populations are creating a perfect storm of challenges for these magnificent marine mammals. And risks posed by the fossil fuel and shipping industries could be the final straw that sends these iconic animals to EXTINCTION.  The time to act is now. We cannot stand idly by while Big Oil and the shipping industry wreak havoc on our oceans and threaten the survival of orcas. We must raise our voices, demand accountability, and fight to protect the precious ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. Today, we’re calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take immediate action by protecting endangered orcas from Big Oil and the shipping industry's destructive corporate projects. Will you join us today in the fight to defend orcas and our oceans from Big Oil before it’s too late? Add your name now! >>  SIGN THE PETITION The proposed Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal project and the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion pose grave risks to the survival of these iconic marine mammals. If allowed to proceed unchecked, these projects could WIPE OUT the remaining 75 orcas forever.  The Roberts Bank T2 terminal would increase shipping traffic, noise pollution, and habitat degradation into the orcas' already fragile ecosystem. Similarly, the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion would bring a surge in tanker traffic through critical orca habitat, amplifying the threat of oil spills and further degrading the marine environment. And it could take just ONE major oil spill to completely DECIMATE the entire Southern Resident orca population.  The cumulative impact of these projects poses an imminent danger to the survival of the last few Southern Resident orcas left.   If we’re going to send a powerful message to the EPA to STOP these Big Oil projects from moving forward and threatening endangered orcas, we need 2,971 more activists to step up and sign our petition TODAY before 11:59 P.M. tonight. can we count on you to speak out against the fossil fuel industry’s environmental destruction right now? SIGN THE PETITION Thanks for protecting endangered orcas,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:    ©  2024, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved.

Just one spill could kill the rest of these whales

 

The Southern Resident Killer Whales are among the most iconic and beloved animal families in North America. But they are in grave danger -- and just a single oil spill could wipe out the entire population. Protect critically endangered orcas: Rush a $15 donation to Friends of the Earth Action.

The majestic Southern Resident Killer Whales were once a common sight in the waters of Washington and British Columbia. Now, they are struggling to survive. A study released this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sheds new light on the plight of these iconic whales. It shows that shipping vessels coming within 1200 feet of whales leads to dramatically changed feeding habits. Some stop feeding entirely.

This confirms what we already knew: The whales are in critical danger -- especially from the Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal and the Trans Mountain Pipeline. The only way to save these whales from extinction is to stop the disastrous megaprojects in their tracks.

Stop the shipping and fossil fuel industries from wiping out Southern Resident Killer Whales: Donate $15 to Friends of the Earth Action.

The proposed Roberts Bank T2 project is a massive container shipping facility that developers want to build at the mouth of British Columbia’s Fraser River. Scientists agree that Roberts Bank will disrupt the migration patterns of Chinook Salmon, the main food source for these endangered orcas. It will force young salmon into open ocean waters before they are strong enough -- creating a chronic lack of food for the 75 Southern Resident orcas that remain, including the three vulnerable new calves.

The Trans Mountain Pipeline would do more of the same, pumping 590,000 barrels per day of toxic tar sands oil -- the dirtiest kind -- and exponentially increasing shipping in Southern Resident critical habitat from 60 to 400 oil tankers per year. This would be a ticking time-bomb of toxic pollution, just waiting to spill.

Both of these projects would significantly increase oil tanker traffic, which disrupts both the orcas’ sonar that they rely on to forage for food, and their food source itself -- at a time when many orcas are already starving.

Take action to protect endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales, and the Chinook Salmon they rely on.

Southern Resident Killer Whales have long been struggling to survive. Made up of only three pods -- tightly-knit family groups -- their mortality rate is increasing and their birth rate is decreasing, as the whales become skinnier and more malnourished. Experts say that a lack of salmon -- and resulting hunger and stress -- has kept them from reproducing successfully. They are also threatened by pollution, which affects their health, and underwater noise from shipping, which disrupts the echolocation they use to hunt. 

Every species is important, but orcas play a special and irreplaceable role in our ecological systems: Whales and other large sea animals are key to combating climate change and protecting our own future.

Whales serve as ecosystem engineers and provide crucial nutrients to phytoplankton -- tiny ocean plants that produce over 50% of our oxygen, sequester hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon per year, and make up the foundation of the marine food system upon which all ocean life depends. We are interdependent: We rely on these whales for our own future -- just as they are counting on us now.

The odds were already against the endangered orcas, but these megaprojects would magnify every threat the orcas face. Just one oil spill could wipe out this entire population of whales. That’s why we need your help. 

Powered by members like you, Friends of the Earth Action has been fighting for the whales in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve stopped big threats to these whales before. And, we are already working with the Biden administration to expand protections at every level. But it’s an uphill battle -- and we need to stop these proposed projects for the whales to have a chance.

Stop Big Oil and the shipping industry from wiping out Chinook Salmon and Southern Resident Killer Whales. Support Friends of the Earth Action with a $15 donation.

Standing with you,
Marcie Keever,
Oceans and vessels program director,
Friends of the Earth Action

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