WASHINGTON - The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (Defenders Action Fund) launched an animated web ad (www.headsinthesand.org) today that features a melting congressman with his "head in the sand" about global warming. The Pixar-style, animated web ads are part of Defenders Action Fund's "Heads in the Sand" campaign, an integrated radio and Internet effort launched on June 14th.
"We don't need to do anything about global warming," the melting congressman says in the animated ad, while burying his head in the sand. "I'm not melting. I feel great. It's not hot."
"This comical ad is our way of showing how some anti-environmental members of Congress continue to ignore the indisputable facts on global warming," said Defenders Action Fund President Rodger Schlickeisen. "But, what is not a laughing matter is how their inaction on global warming threatens our nation's wildlife, national security, and our children's future."
The "Heads in the Sand" campaign targets five anti-environmental congressmen are ignoring the facts on global warming while taking large donations from corporate polluters and their lobbyists. For the past week, Defenders Action Fund has been running radio ads in these five Congressional districts. These ads provoked only denial from four of the five Congressmen ("5 Western Republicans targeted over global warming," Associated Press, 6/14/07).
"Ken Calvert says we've 'got the wrong guy' and Dean Heller claims we're 'polluting the airwaves.' But, contrary to their claims, all five of these guys have a record of doing favors for big polluters," said Schlickeisen. "Now it's time for them to remove their heads from the sand and acknowledge that the American people, including their constituents, want action now on global warming."
The web ad, like the radio spots, aims to hold accountable five anti-conservation congressmen: Reps. Calvert (CA), John Doolittle (CA), Heller (NV), Steve Pearce (NM), and Rick Renzi (AZ). All five congressmen have a record of anti-conservation, pro-global warming votes and have accepted significant donations, in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars, from Big Oil and other corporate polluters.
The four congressmen who served in the 109th Congress scored 5 percent or lower on the Action Fund's latest Conservation Report Card. Earlier this month, Reps. Pearce and Heller – both members of the House Natural Resources Committee – voted against legislation to help combat global warming and protect wildlife from its impacts. And all of the Congressmen - with the exception of Calvert who was absent - earlier this year voted against a bill that would have recovered billions of dollars in unpaid royalties from oil companies which are benefiting from errors in oil drilling leases issued in 1998 and 1999.
The "Heads in the Sand" campaign is similar to the "Pombo in Their Pocket" campaign launched by the Defenders Action Fund in 2005. The Pombo effort highlighted the anti-environmental extremist record of then-Chairman of the House Resources Committee, Richard Pombo. This current campaign is the first effort by the Action Fund to hold accountable members of Congress for their position on the critical issue of global warming.
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The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund www.defendersactionfund.org provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.
June 27, 2007
