March 7, 2024
By: Trimmel Gomes
Last month, an environmental group sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, accusing it of failing to protect endangered species from dangerous pesticide chemicals and they are urging the public to help in the fight.
The Center for Biological Diversity said pesticides threaten up to 97% of
endangered species, a finding the Environmental Protection Agency determined six years ago.
Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the center, said it
wants the Fish and Wildlife Service to review the EPA's findings expeditiously
and implement measures to prevent species from going extinct or getting harmed
by chemicals such as Chlorpyrifos.
"The manatees, the crested caracara, the whooping crane, the wood stork,
the Miami blue butterfly, the Florida Bonneted bat, the frosted flatwoods
salamander, dozens of species in Florida the environmental protection agency
has found are adversely affected by pesticides," Evans outlined.
Evans encouraged the public to avoid using pesticides, which have been linked
to developmental problems in children, to keep away from their homes and
gardens. In the meantime, the group is calling on Fish and Wildlife to complete
its review of possible harms.
Evans believes everyone can play a part in safeguarding and protecting the
environment.
"Don't use those pesticides in your backyards for the ornamentals, or
avoid using it as much as possible," Evans urged. "Another important
step the public can do is buy organic whenever it's feasible for them to do it.
That's going to reduce the amount of pesticides out in the environment."
According to a New York Times investigation, Fish and Wildlife was apparently
ready to release its initial analysis of chlorpyrifos and diazinon chemicals in
2017 when a Trump-appointed Department of the Interior nominee blocked the release.
Content for this Post is provided by Florida News Connection, a Bureau of
Public News Service. Public News Service
is a member of the The Trust Project.
No comments:
Post a Comment