Education is an important tool in our combined efforts to act on climate change. In today's story, "Episcopalians urged to act to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," you'll learn about why The Episcopal Church cares deeply about preserving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area the Gwich'in people call "the sacred place where life begins."
Here's and excerpt:
To energy companies the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, particularly its 1.5-million acre coastal plain, is a potential oil and natural gas bonanza. To the Gwich’in, the indigenous people who for centuries have called it home, it’s sacred.
This conflict has fueled for more than 30 years a contentious debate over whether this coastal plain should be opened to oil drilling or kept as an unspoiled habitat. The biologically diverse ecosystem is home to Porcupine caribou, polar bears, gray wolves, Dall sheep, musk oxen, 42 fish species and more than 200 bird species.
It is an ongoing debate only U.S. Congress can resolve, and once again it’s on the radar with the recent introduction of a bipartisan bill in the House that would designate the coastal plain a wilderness, permanently making drilling off limits.
Hopefully, these stories will teach you something new and inspire you. Once you read today's story, share it on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtags #Episcopal #30Days.
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