Actor Ian Somerhalder, star of CW’s Vampire Diaries, came to Washington D.C. to urge Congress to act on behalf of the world’s rapidly disappearing endangered species. Somerhalder spoke at a hearing of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs in support of H.R. 50, the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Reauthorization Act. “Wildlife and environmental conservation has always been not just a passion, but a priority of mine,” Somerhalder told the committee. The Actor focuses his philanthropic work around 3 themes: habitat conservation, species protection, and clean energy initiatives. Somerhalder spoke about the plight of iconic speaks like tigers, elephants, sea turtles and great apes. “Scientists warn us that we are on the cusp of the largest mass extinction spasm since the dinosaurs,” Somerhalder noted. “This is an issue that Americans care deeply about, and it is critical that the United States, as a world leader and global power, continue to lead the planet’s efforts in global species conservation. Due to instability or indifference in the areas that many of these species call home, for most of them we are the first, last, and only hope for survival. As the ones with the power to make a difference, the responsibility rests with us. It is imperative that we live up to it.”
Read the full text of Ian’s testimony here.
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