EarthJustice’s Maggie Caldwell on Why You Should Care About The Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act has prevented nearly 99% of species in its care from going extinct, but now the Trump admin is trying to roll back protections—here’s why you should care and what you can do.
 
“The Trump administration has taken aim at the strongest tool we have to protect plants and animals from going extinct: The Endangered Species Act,” EarthJustice’s Maggie Caldwell explained.
 
Since 1973, when Richard Nixon signed the act into law, it has been credited with preventing 99%of species in its care from going extinct.
 
“The Endangered Species Act is why we still have bald eagles, Florida manatees, grizzly bears and gray wolves out in the wildness and not just stuffed in a display case in some museum,” Caldwell explained. “Scientists say that since it was enacted, the endangered Species Act has stopped more than 200 species from completely dying off.”
 
A recent UN Report warned that human activities in the next four years could lead to the die-off of more than one million species, which would affect the growth of plant life and the amount of food grown around the world. But the Trump administration is still trying to weaken the act in favor of large and polluting corporations’ rights.
 
EarthJustice is going to court to try and stop the act’s rollback and is encouraging others to give their senators and representatives a call in favor of keeping it.
 
“Our wildlife, and our future depends on it,” Caldwell said.

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