The Repository
  • Sportsmen should get behind Obama's climate-change plan

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  • Hunting season in Ohio is a big deal. Approximately 500,000 people hunt deer, for example. But we're not just in it for the bragging rights of harvesting a 10-point buck or limiting out on upland game birds. We get unique enjoyment from being outdoors.
    Average annual temperatures have increased, and the length of time ice covers lakes has decreased. More and more, these changes impact wildlife habitats and their behavior. One report, by the National Wildlife Federation, presents damning evidence about what is happening to fish populations.
    As much as we're hurting wildlife and the environment, we're hurting ourselves. We have to do something about the effects of climate change for many reasons. What other option do we have than to tackle this challenge head-on?
    Addressing climate change with a comprehensive federal plan will create and retain jobs and build up industries. It will make our economy stronger and more competitive, while simultaneously helping to protect and preserve America's tradition of sportsmanship.
    We support President Obama's plan to respond to the threat of climate change, prepare communities for its impacts and invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. It will benefit both the environment and the sportsmen who depend on it, by curbing carbon pollution in new power plants and incentivizing the transition to clean energy.
    It's a plan that the nation's leading labor organizations, conservation groups and environmental organizations already support.
    As sportsmen, we've been charged with upholding a rich American tradition. It's a role that we take seriously. Therefore, it's our duty to continue to fight for it, so that our children and grandchildren are able to reap all the rewards of our outdoor heritage for many years to come.
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