Room for Debate: A Running Commentary on the News

Introduction

Mark Packila/Wildlife Conservation Society The North American wolverine is waiting in line with many other proposed additions to the endangered species list.

In the past few years, the Fish and Wildlife Service has been overwhelmed with hundreds of petitions to add plants and animals to the federal endangered species list. Conservation groups say they have had to barrage the agency because climate change and rapid habitat destruction are pushing many more species closer to extinction.

But the agency has been unable to process the backlog of threatened species and now faces hundreds of lawsuits under the Endangered Species Act. The agency is asking Congress to cap the amount of money that it can spend to process petitions.

How should federal regulators address the claims of potential harm to species and habitats from global warming? Is there an approach that would make more sense?