Frances Beinecke Quotes

Though every nation must do its part to address climate change, developed nations are responsible for the lion’s share of carbon pollution in the atmosphere, and they have an obligation to help developing nations transition to a sustainable future.

Pollution from human activities is changing the Earth’s climate. We see the damage that a disrupted climate can do: on our coasts, our farms, forests, mountains, and cities. Those impacts will grow more severe unless we start reducing global warming pollution now.

When people who love the ocean come together, they can achieve extraordinary things.

I have long understood that climate change is not only an environmental issue – it is a humanitarian, economic, health, and justice issue as well.

The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument may be distant from our shores, but it will help us understand how healthy marine ecosystems work and how we can revive troubled seas closer to home.

The more people learn about the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, the worse it looks.

Opening up Atlantic and Arctic waters to drilling would lock the next generation into burning oil and gas in a way that only makes climate change that much worse, fueling ever rising seas, widening deserts, withering drought, blistering heat, raging storms, wildfires, floods and other hallmarks of climate chaos.

Many environmental battles are won by delaying a destructive project long enough to change the conversation – to allow new economic, political and social dynamics to emerge.

Protecting eagles from the threat of extinction is a conservation success story that we must prudently safeguard for future generations to come.

Instead of going to the ends of the Earth – and plumbing the depths of the oceans – to squeeze out every last drop of oil, we need, instead, to do everything we can to reduce the risks of offshore oil and gas production.

After being nearly eradicated from the lower 48 states by the 1960s, bald eagles were re-introduced to the Adirondacks in the 1980s, and I’m proud to report the view from my home indicates they are flourishing in upstate New York.

Pollution from oil and gas development, toxic runoff, and miles and miles of plastic trash foul the waters and threaten marine life.

Strong limits on carbon pollution will save Americans money, create jobs, improve our health, and help defuse climate change.

Wind and other clean, renewable energy will help end our reliance on fossil fuels and combat the severe threat that climate change poses to humans and wildlife alike.

From reinforcing beaches in the Rockaways to installing generators at the Coney Island Houses and sealing holes in the subway system, New York is fortifying our ability to withstand future storm surges.

I have been fighting climate change for two decades, and people often ask me how I remain hopeful in the face of extreme weather and grim forecasts. The answer is simple: I see countless solutions spreading across the nation and across the world. But we need more investment.

Los Angeles County is one of the most park-poor urban areas in the nation, and the San Gabriel Valley – stretching from Pasadena to Pomona – is especially starved for open space.

I do believe that the coal industry sees the cultural shift toward cleaner energy and global warming solutions as a threat to their interests.

I attended the climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009, and back then, national governments waited until days before to submit climate plans, and the U.S. based its pledge on a proposed bill that would fail in the Senate.

Water efficiency, recycling, and other local supplies will help California flourish in a drier future.

Climate change deniers would have us believe that oil, gas, and coal are the only ways to power a modern, industrialized society. They are wrong, and the proof is all around us.

Business leaders, social justice groups, farmers and ranchers, doctors and nurses and people from all walks of life are concerned about the climate threat.

California’s drought affects everyone in the state, from farmers to fishermen, business owners to suburban residents, and everyone has a role to play in using precious water resources as wisely and efficiently as possible.

The Keystone XL pipeline is a threat to our nation. It would increase pollution and intensify climate change for generations to come. We must raise our voices and demand our leaders reject this dirty scheme.

The truth is you can’t get more water from reservoirs that are empty.

VW has held a beloved place in American culture. When I graduated from college, many of my friends drove across the country, and most hit the road in a VW van or Bug. Through the years, these cars have represented youth, freedom and quirkiness.

We look back at the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, where people screamed and hollered it’s going to be too expensive, they couldn’t afford it, and it wouldn’t work. And it worked. It worked faster than people expected, at much less cost.

Nearly every president in the past 100 years has declared national monuments, from Teddy Roosevelt creating the Grand Canyon National Monument to George W. Bush preserving 10 islands and 140,000 square miles of ocean waters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The San Gabriel Mountains rise like a rampart at the edge of the city, safeguarding more than 500,000 acres of mature forests, mountain streams, dramatic waterfalls, and towering peaks that reach over 9,000 feet. These untamed places attract bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and other threatened or endangered species.

We can choose food that doesn’t lead to illnesses like diabetes and cancer. We can choose food that doesn’t contribute to water pollution and climate change. And we can choose food that keeps local economies vibrant and farmers on their land.

In the end, the market will decide which is the better performer: dirty coal-fired power or clean wind and solar. Market-based competition. That doesn’t sound like communism to me.

The U.S. has a proud history of cleaning up our air through technological innovation. We did it with leaded gas, acid rain and countless other pollutants, and we can do it with carbon pollution, too.

Shell Oil’s decision to pull the plug on drilling for oil in the Chukchi Sea is a major victory for the Arctic.

When the government undertakes or approves a major project such as a dam or highway project, it must make sure the project’s impacts, environmental and otherwise, are considered. In many cases, NEPA gives the public its only opportunity to be heard about the project’s impact on their community.

The San Gabriel monument expands our natural heritage, but there is more in need of safeguarding – extraordinary places like Utah’s Greater Canyonlands.

Once a landscape is industrialized, its wild character is lost for good. You can’t recreate untouched tundra, mountain meadows, crystal clear streams, and animals that have never encountered toxic waste.

Over the years, I have seen the power of the oceans to excite, feed, and sustain people. I have also seen them undergo a growing onslaught of attacks, from destructive fishing practices to rising acidification.

The people who harvest America’s food must be treated with respect and earn a living wage.

The fossil fuel industry commands outsize sway over U.S. politics, markets, and democracy. I knew these companies were formidable, but when I served on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, I got a close up view of how the industry disregards government safeguards.

Green roofs, roadside plantings, porous pavement, and sidewalk gardens have been proven to reduce flooding. They absorb rainwater before it swamps the streets and sewage systems.

The San Gabriel Valley, stretching from Pasadena to Pomona, is especially starved for open space. The valley has a rich array of ethnically diverse communities, but it also has some of the highest rates of childhood obesity and diabetes in the state.

As heat rises, so does the number of people trying to cool down homes, schools, hospitals and businesses. This isn’t just about comfort; it’s a matter of public health.

Studies show that women are more likely than men to die in natural disasters. Women’s voices must be heard.

Though many corporations honor commitments to reduce dangerous pollution, some cut corners and cheat. The marketplace doesn’t always have mechanisms to correct bad actors.

The oceans produce up to 70 percent of our oxygen, they shape our climate, and they support an American oceans economy larger than our nation’s entire agriculture sector.

Tar sands oil is the dirtiest fuel on Earth. Because producing it consumes so much energy, a gallon of tar sands crude generates 17 percent more carbon pollution than conventional crude oil.

Instead of hazarding our future on the dirty fuels of the past, let’s invest in clean power that can drive this country forward. Let’s cut energy waste, make our economy the world’s most efficient, and give our workers a leg up in the global marketplace.

New York and Connecticut belong to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to cut carbon emissions, and New York City has been a leader in energy efficiency.

Americans welcome carbon limits because they want to protect their families from harm.

In grownups, mercury can cause memory loss, tremors, vision loss and numbness of the fingers and toes. It can also adversely affect fertility and blood pressure regulation, and a growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to mercury may lead to heart disease.

We can power our economy without despoiling our wild places.

The signs of climate change are visible across the nation, from the drought-stricken fields of Central California to the flooded streets of Michigan. Extreme weather is turning people’s lives upside down and costing communities millions of dollars in damaged infrastructure and added health care costs.

Every year, tens of millions of salmon return to the pristine shores of Bristol Bay in Alaska. They linger in the bay’s cool, shallow waters before charging up nearby streams to spawn and create another generation of wild salmon.

Striking a balance between wildlife conservation and wind energy development starts with understanding threats to eagle populations and how our actions, including operating wind farms, are affecting them.

When I left school, I never wondered whether my apartment in New York was vulnerable to storm surges, but my three daughters have to consider the realities of extreme weather and how it may destabilize communities around the globe.