A new report lays out strategies that support plants and animals in adapting to a rapidly changing climate. The Conservancy’s Sarah Murdock explains how they can also help keep nature healthy for people.

Very early yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released the detailed spending bill, H.R. 1473, that implements the three-way agreement among President Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But what does this mean for U.S. commitments to international climate finance?

Some in Congress are threatening to reverse the progress EPA has made in fighting carbon pollution. On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to consider amendments to a small business bill that would handcuff EPA in its ability to make forward progress on climate change.

As hard Congressional decisions continue to unfold for budget cuts across domestic and international programs, it seems like at least one proposed reduction should be off the table: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s early-warning systems. Early-warning systems like those managed by NOAA unquestionably save lives. Yet Congress wants to cut money from our country’s ability to keep abreast of changing natural conditions that have the power to send our highly developed society reeling from disruptive and extreme disasters.

The U.S. spends about $1 billion per year on global efforts to curb carbon pollution – “a very small portion of the federal budget” – and the House is proposing to slash about 40 percent of that funding, well above the cuts in most other areas of the budget. Here is The Nature Conservancy’s breakdown. Don’t hold your breath, it’s a painfully long list.

H.R. 1 would slash U.S. direct foreign assistance and support for multilateral institutions. The total funding of these programs amounts to less than 1 percent of the federal budget, but they play a critical role in protecting U.S. security, contributing to a strong economy, providing stability in many countries, and preserving the U.S. as a strong global partner.

To avoid further temperature increases, we would need to cut carbon pollution by 80 percent – to the amount we polluted in 1950.

The president’s State of the Union speech is a step forward for energy policy and its attendant benefits. We are in a race with time for energy security, a sustainable economy, and for reducing the impacts of carbon pollution. And forward is good.

With progress on climate legislation remaining elusive despite a year-end flurry of Congressional action, all eyes in the U.S. are turning toward the Environmental Protection Agency.

We need you to help us make a video that will tell World Leaders this December that climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico are not a vacation!

We need you to help us make a video that will tell World Leaders this December that climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico are not a vacation!