Climate Change Will Be Its Highest Priority, Says U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Over the next five years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to make climate change its “highest priority.” According to its new “Action Plan” released last month, the branch of the U.S. Department of Interior charged with protecting fish, wildlife and plants will focus first and foremost on the global weather. “Climate change must become our highest priority,” a fact sheet attached to the plan said. “Consequently, we will deploy our resources, creativity and energy in a long-term campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard fish, wildlife and their habitats.” The Fish and Wildlife Service said it plans to “reach out to the larger conservation community to tackle climate change.” The Action Plan is part of an overall strategic report titled “Rising to the Challenge: Strategic Plan for Responding to Accelerating Climate Change.” That report makes no bones about just how seriously the FWS considers the climate situation to be. “(A)s a Service, we are committed to examining everything we do, every decision we make, and every dollar we spend through the lens of climate change,” it declares on page one. “We see climate change as an issue that will unite the conservation community like no other issue since the 1960s, when (environmentalist) Rachel Carson sounded an alarm about pesticides,” the plan said on page three...read more

Even if most of this is aimed at securing more funding for the USFWS, it is still scary (think all ESA consultations with USFWS).

I hope everyone has noticed the new catch phrase is "climate change", not "global warming". That way, whether it gets hotter or colder, they are covered.

And someone please show me the federal law that requires the USFWS to "unite the conservation community."