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In 2011, the USA had the second highest level of estimated carbon emissions in the world, with figures 5,420,000,000 tonnes. It also had the highest level of emissions per capita in the world, with each person emitting 17.3 tonnes of carbon emissions.
As a result of the USA on going contribution to global warming, hundreds of environmental groups have sprung up in the US and are actively campaigning to reduce the USA's carbon footprint and promote renewable energy sources.
Here are just a few examples:
41pounds.org
Abalone Alliance (historic)
Adirondack Mountain Club
African American Environmentalist Association
African Wild Dog Conservancy
Albatross Foundation USA
Allegheny Land Trust
Alliance for Climate Protection
Alliance to Save Energy
American Bird Conservancy
American Farmland Trust
Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL)
Appalachian Voices
Arlington Coalition on Transportation (ACT)
Association of Environmental Professionals
Audubon movement
Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF)
Builders for the Bay
Center for a New American Dream
Center for International Environmental Law
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Environmental Philosophy
Ceres
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
Conservation International
Conservation Law Foundation
Defenders of Wildlife
Earth First!
Earth Island Institute
Earth Policy Institute
Earth Liberation Army (ELA)
Earth Liberation Front (ELF)
EarthLab
Earth's Birthday Project
Ecotrust
Energy Action Coalition
Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)
Environment America
Environment California
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA)
Environmental Law Institute
Environmental Life Force (ELF)
Environmental Working Group
Earth Share
Forest Guardians
Global Water Policy Project
Green Zionist Alliance
Greenguard Environmental Institute
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology
International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON)
Honor the Earth
Izaak Walton League
Keep America Beautiful
League of Conservation Voters
Montana Wilderness Association
National Audubon Society
National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
National Geographic Society
National Registry of Environmental Professionals (NREP)
National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Native Forest Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nature's Classroom
NatureServe
Negative Population Growth
Neighborhood Parks Council
New York - New Jersey Trail Conference
Nicodemus Wilderness Project
Ohio Citizen Action
Pacific Environment
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
Population Connection
Preserve Our Island
Rainforest Action Network
Resources for the Future (RFF)
Republicans for Environmental Protection
Rising Tide North America
Riverkeeper
Sand County Foundation
Save the Redwoods League
Science & Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Sea Shepherd
Sierra Club
Sierra Student Coalition
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
Student Conservation Association
Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC)
Surfrider Foundation
Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV)
Tellus Institute
Texas Campaign for the Environment
The Big Green Bus
The Conservation Fund
The Marine Mammal Center
The Ocean Conservancy
The School for Field Studies
The Wilderness Society
TreePeople
Union of Concerned Scientists
Waterkeeper Alliance
West Harlem Environmental Action (WEACT)
WILD Foundation
Worldwatch Institute
Wyoming Outdoor Council
Not all environmental groups have the same impact...
Some are more influential than others...
Lets take a look at some specific groups and find out why?
The Sierra Club is one of the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organizations in the United States.
The Sierra Club's mission is:
To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
National and local special-interest sections, committees, and task forces address particular issues.
The club has approximately 500 paid staff members. Many of them work at the national headquarters in San Francisco, California, but some work in the lobbying office in Washington, D.C. and in numerous state and regional offices.
In 2008, the Sierra Club endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President, citing "his strong record of support for clean air, wetlands protection, and clean energy."
The Climate Reality Project is a nonprofit organization founded and chaired by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. The group is involved in education and advocacy campaigns related to climate change.
It was formed in 2010, from the merger of two nonprofit organizations, also chaired by Al Gore, the Alliance for Climate Protection and the Climate Project
In 2011, it organised the 24 Hours of Reality online event, which broadcast a multimedia presentation created by Gore, every hour, for 24 hours.
The purpose of the event was to educate the public about global warming and counter the arguments from fossil fuel industries that deny climate change science.
They stage protests and demonstartions to raise awareness on clean energy and solutions to global warming, protecting people from toxic and new, potentially harmful technologies, and promoting smarter, low-pollution transportation alternatives.
They also actively lobby members of Congress to achieve their policy aims.
So far, their tactics have worked. As a direct result of their influence the US government has:
ExxonMobil has been a leading figure in the business world's position on climate change, providing substantial funding to a range of global-warming-skeptical organizations
It has also had a key influence in the Bush administration's energy policy, including on the Kyoto Protocol, supported by both $55m spent on lobbying since 1999, and direct contacts between the company and leading politicians.
The Earth Policy Institute functions as a think-tank, providing policy research and recommendations on sustainable development and living, as well as on environmental issues.
From 2005 to 2008, Koch Industries donated $5.7 million on political campaigns and $37 million on direct lobbying to support fossil fuel industries.
Between 1997 and 2008, Koch Industries donated a total of nearly $48 million to climate opposition groups.
However, not all pressure groups are support to use of clean energy to reduce climate change.
Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity" and focuses its campaigning on world wide issues such as global warming, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering, and anti-nuclear issues. Greenpeace uses direct action, lobbying and research to achieve its goals.
Greenpeace is known for its direct actions and has been described as the most visible environmental organization in the world. Greenpeace has raised environmental issues to public knowledge, and influenced both the private and the public sector.
photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli