In his new book, National Wildlife Federation CEO Larry Schweiger breaks down the facts about climate change and reminds us of our responsibility to life on earth. Pulling from anecdotal evidence and hard hitting data, Schweiger shows that there is broad support, even among sportsmen, for action on climate change.

This excerpt was reprinted from the book “Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth” by Larry J. Schweiger with permission from Fulcrum Publishing. Purchase your copy at www.nwf.org/lastchance

Outdoors people, woodsmen, hikers, hunters, paddlers, birders, trappers, gardeners, and nature lovers do not need to be convinced by scientists that global warming is happening, because they have seen its early effects up close. Over the years, in my travels to all fifty states and beyond, I have encountered many interesting and knowledgeable outdoors people. You can see them coming, with their weather-worn faces, outdoor clothing, and leathery handshakes. After my climate presentations, they come up to tell their stories and share personal narratives about their special places and things they have seen change. With vivid detail, their stories invariably interweave time, place, and the forces of climate change into a powerful anecdote about how our world is changing. They know how global warming has affected and altered their landscapes and the hydrology of their rivers, and they see the myriad patterns of wildlife alterations that have happened over their lifetimes.

Outdoor people see what is happening to the natural world because they spend their lives outside. An elderly farmer from Russell, Kansas, reported seeing his first armadillo, on the road as it migrated north. A Quebec wildlife officer reported spotting his first opossum, lightly furred with a naked tail, exposed ears, and hairless feet. The species has been marching farther poleward year-by-year, from the southern United States into eastern Canada. A Montana fly angler shared a devastating story about Rogers Lake, which has been used for decades as a brood lake for reintroduction of the beautiful, troutlike, metallic purple Arctic grayling into Montana waters. During a prolonged drought and heat wave in Montana, when the lake’s waters hit a recordsetting 80°F, thousands of dead grayling, with their distinctive sail-like dorsal fins, floated to the surface. A traditional Kentucky woman who earns extra money to support her family from trapping told me that excessively warm autumns are affecting the density, quality, and value of pelts.

Based on anecdotal examples from many outdoors people who knew more about global warming than the general population, NWF decided to conduct a first-ever comprehensive nationwide survey of licensed hunters and anglers to understand their attitudes on global warming. We commissioned Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Virginia, to conduct the nonpartisan survey because this firm had been polling for state fish and wildlife agencies for years and knew the sportsmen demographic space better than other polling firms.

From late March 2006 through April 2006, 1,031 hunters and anglers nationwide were polled, chosen randomly from state lists of individuals holding hunting and fishing licenses. This poll revealed that a majority of sportsmen are witnessing the effects of global warming in their world. More than three-quarters of US hunters and anglers agreed that global warming is occurring, and the same percentage said they have observed changes in climate conditions where they live, such as warmer, shorter winters, hotter summers, earlier springs, less snow, and more.

We discovered from this poll that the majority of US sportsmen say global warming is an urgent problem that needs immediate action, and that they wanted clean energy solutions that create jobs and cut pollution from burning fossil fuels. We also discovered a deep reservoir of support, as the sportsmen said we have a moral responsibility to confront global warming with immediate actions necessary to address it. More than half said they believe the changes they see are related to global warming.

Nearly three-quarters believe climate change either is currently affecting or will influence hunting or fishing conditions. On several occasions in recent years, NWF polled license-holding hunters and anglers all across the United States as representatives for those who spend time in the out-of-doors. We were surprised to find that half of those surveyed identified themselves as evangelical Christians. The number of sportsmen-evangelicals went to 65 percent in the South. Eighty-six percent agree that the federal government should provide incentives for industries to replace some energy from oil, gas, and coal with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Eighty-four percent support federal incentives for companies that develop new energy efficient technologies that reduce global warming, and 87 percent support federal incentives that make energy conservation technologies more affordable for all citizens.

In more recent NWF Action Fund polls, 80 percent of sportsmen polled believe the United States should be a world leader in addressing global warming. In each of these polls, respondents demonstrated a much higher near-term recognition of the threat of global warming on their local world than the public at large do, as measured by a number of other polls. For example, a January 2007 national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that only 55 percent (though still a majority) said global warming is a problem that requires immediate government action. So being outdoors matters with respect to our attitudes and understandings about climate change and energy development.

Outdoors people understand the situation more clearly, and they want a new direction to protect what they have. They clearly support a major shift away from fossil fuels that produce global warming pollution and a shift toward developing a new generation of alternative and renewable energy sources. Overall, more than two-thirds (69 percent) of sportsmen said the nation is on the wrong track in meeting its energy needs. An overwhelming majority, 78 percent, say conserving more, developing fuel efficient vehicles, and expanding the use of renewable sources are the best ways to address US energy needs, rather than drilling for more oil and gas within the United States.