William Faber;and Gary Botzek

You may ask why should hunters, anglers or other lovers of the great outdoors be interested or concerned about industrial carbon pollution and Environmental Protection Agency rules to regulate or control them? The EPA recently announced a new rule to tighten the carbon emitted by existing coal-burning power plants.

We would suggest that the answer lays in the health and welfare of our families and our wildlife. From family fishing trips up north to the jobs supported by outdoor tourism, Minnesota’s healthy wildlife and natural resources benefit all of us.

Beauty so natural is easy to take for granted, but it only exists now because generations of Americans have come together to protect our outdoor heritage. As sportsmen and sportswomen, we support the EPA’s new limits on industrial carbon pollution.

Just like unfettered development and dwindling stocks of fish and game united conservationists in Teddy Roosevelt’s day, climate change is now the threat we must confront to protect our legacy for our children and grandchildren. At this point, the evidence that industrial carbon pollution is warming our climate and fueling extreme weather is as solid as the science that connects cigarettes to cancer.

Just this spring, a coalition of organizations and federal agencies from the Department of Defense to the National Science Foundation released an updated National Climate Assessment documenting changes happening even faster than previous projections, with temperatures rising faster, oceans more quickly becoming acidic, and fish and wildlife habitat shifting sooner than many species can adapt.

We see change

But sportsmen don’t need anyone to tell them our climate is changing — we can see it with our own eyes. We see up close how climate change is altering the forests, fields, streams and lakes where we’ve hunted and fished our entire lives. As temperatures rise, lakes and streams are getting warmer, making them inhospitable for fish like the brook trout that need cold water.

To make matters worse, the warmer temperatures are giving a leg up to harmful species. Bark beetle infestations worsened by rising temperatures are destroying the woods that are home to many of our favorite animals. Warmer temperatures and longer summers mean more harmful wood and deer tick infestations.

There are clear signs of danger and reason to be concerned for our fish and wildlife due to a warmer climate, warming waters, milder winters, more disease affecting our fish and wildlife, and more extreme weather events.

Across the country and in Minnesota our, fish and wildlife are under duress. Trout, moose and bear are fighting to survive in this ever-changing world. Add invasive species such as carp, ticks and beetles and the battleground gets bloodier and big losses can be expected if we don’t try to turn some of this fossil fuel consumption around. Coal-burning power plants are a big polluter and something we can change. But we need to start now.

Benefits of recreation

Hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts contribute greatly to our economy. From the bait shop, fishing and hunting licenses, cabin rental and ownership, camping, biking and hiking, Minnesotans spend and invest millions of dollars on natural resources and spend a great deal of time outdoors enjoying the great outdoors.

Every year in Minnesota, outdoor recreation generates $11.6 billion in consumer spending, affects or influences 118,000 jobs, generates $3.4 billion in wages and salaries, and produces $815 million in state and local tax revenue, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. In addition, excise taxes and stamp fees and dedicated sales tax that hunters and anglers pay are specifically dedicated by law to sustaining fish and wildlife. Angler and hunting dollars helped the recovery of many endangered species in the 20th century, but climate change is putting these success stories and America’s outdoor legacy at great risk. If we want our children and grandchildren to have the same opportunities we’ve had, we must act now to cut climate-disrupting carbon pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s first limits on industrial carbon emissions are years in the making, painstakingly crafted, and will make a real difference in reducing carbon pollution. I hope our members of Congress stand on the side of progress and help us save our wildlife legacy before it is too late. Just like Teddy Roosevelt, we can provide the strong leadership that will be needed to repair and improve the current natural resources order.

This is the opinion of William Faber, of Central Lakes College in Brainerd, and Gary Botzek, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation. A version of this commentary originally appeared in The Outdoor News.