Former President Jimmy Carter dedicated much of his life to protecting the planet, both during and after his time in office. His environmental legacy, marked by significant conservation efforts and energy initiatives, continues to influence the fight against climate change. From the White House, Carter urged Americans to conserve energy and avoid wasting resources saying, during an unprecedented oil shortage in 1977, “With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime.” That speech was just one moment in his long legacy of conservation efforts. Tom Kiernan, president of the American Rivers Organization, praised Carter’s contributions, saying, “I think the President Jimmy Carter launched us on an extraordinarily important conservation history.” One of Carter’s major accomplishments while in office was the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or ANILCA. “No legislation, and no president, has ever worked to protect more land with a single piece of legislation than ANILCA,” said environmental consultant Deborah Williams. The act preserved more than 100 million acres of land in Alaska by designating them as national parks or national wildlife refuges. “These are not only critical to protecting us from the impacts of climate change but that they are important economic drivers,” Williams added. The former President even fought to protect the law in 2022, when he joined conservation groups in suing to stop a land swap approved by the first Trump Administration. Carter’s conservation efforts extended beyond Alaska. He protected more than a dozen rivers across the country through the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. “There were probably well over a dozen rivers that he vetoed proposals from the Corps of Engineers to dam them up. And I know 25 wild and scenic rivers up in Alaska that he protected,” Kiernan said. Carter’s climate […]