Russ Feingold

The UK is now one step closer to ratifying High Seas Treaty The High Seas Treaty granted Royal Assent, but UK is still not yet legally bound to the framework leaving uncertainty over first ocean COP

The US is not in the play again on this kind of global effort. But, today, the UK has taken an important step towards ratification.

oceanographicmagazine.com/news/uk-one-...

BBNJ Agreement Enters into Force On 17 January 2026, the Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (B...

The "biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction" (BBNJ) treaty is a significant milestone and important contribution to addressing the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and pollution providing important resiliency for the high seas.

sdg.iisd.org/news/bbnj-ag...

Trump repeals EPA’s ability to regulate climate pollution | CNN The Trump Environmental Protection Agency delivered a significant blow to longstanding US climate policy on Thursday, finalizing rules to revoke a 2009 scientific finding that human-caused climate cha...

This move puts public health at risk. The priorities of this administration aren't with those they are supposed to serve.
www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/c...

“The Homeland” Is War on America: The Blood-and-Soil Nationalism That Killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti In the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Trump has clarified an inconvenient fact: The culture war is an actual war.

I voted against the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and I was pleased to speak with Ta-Nehisi Coates @VanityFair about the mood surrounding that debate.

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/t...

Wildlife Crossings Could See Permanent Federal Funding Through Bipartisan Bill - Mountain Journal Led by Montana's Zinke and Virginia's Beyer, Congressional bill aims to extend nation’s only federal program for wildlife crossings

If you read @bengoldfarb.bsky.social's terrific book "Crossings" or heard him discuss it on our podcast, news.mongabay.com/podcast/2023... ...you'll see the value in this

And it's proof of bipartisan will in the US gov't to do things for the environment 👀

Bill would provide funding through 2031:

Trump administration moves to break up leading U.S. climate and weather center White House budget director calls the National Center for Atmospheric Research a source of “climate alarmism”

Yet another short-sighted, harmful, and dangerous action.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Governments must prioritize nature protection, former US senator Russ Feingold says Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, and Mary Robinson, former I...

It was a pleasure to speak with @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social on the @mongabay.com podcast to talk about conserving nature and the work we are doing at the Campaign for Nature to advocate for the protection of land and water on the earth. @erikhoffner.bsky.social

news.mongabay.com/podcast/2025...

Governments must prioritize nature protection, former US senator Russ Feingold says Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. senator, and Mary Robinson, former I...

This week Mongabay speaks with Senator @russfeingold.bsky.social about conservation & the climate

As chair of the Campaign for Nature, Feingold emphasizes that nature is essential for a healthy society, despite what figures like Bill Gates have recently argued

Hear his good thoughts here:

"...in a brief for the case {we wrote} that getting rid of the coordinated spending limits would be “the next step in the march toward allowing unlimited money to swamp American elections and drown out the will of the voters.”

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

No, Bill Gates, we don’t have to choose between people & planet (commentary) Bill Gates has long been a leading voice in the global response to human health and climate change. His climate investments and advocacy have helped drive innovation, expand access to clean energy and...

Nature is not an optional “extra” in the fight against climate change: It is a living system that underpins our survival.

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/no-b...

My fellow Campaign for Nature Global Steering Committee member and longtime friend, former Irish President and former UNHCHR Mary Robinson, gets it right again--Nature is not an optional “extra” in the fight against climate change.

Speaking about protecting nature with legislators and parliamentarians from around the world. #IPU151

Count me among the many, many admirers of Jane Goodall for her commendable & lifelong dedication to protecting our planet and all who inhabit it.

Charitybuzz: Lunch with Former US Senator Russ Feingold Enjoy a private lunch in Madison or Middleton, Wisconsin or virtual visit with Russ Feingold, former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and current Presid...

Respect justice? Fund those who fight for it every day!

In @PublicCounsel’s auction you can win the chance to have lunch with me and help fund their vital work protecting our civil rights.

Bid by 10/16 @CharityBuzz
tinyurl.com/russfeingold25

Suriname pledges to shield 90% of forests, far beyond global conservation goal Suriname has pledged to permanently protect 90% of its forests, far surpassing the global 30x30 goal.

"Suriname’s government has pledged to permanently protect 90% of its tropical forests, a move conservationists say is among the most ambitious commitments to climate and biodiversity ever made by an Amazonian nation."

apnews.com/article/suri...

High Seas Treaty Ratification Tracker At least 60 countries must sign and ratify the High Seas Treaty for it to become international law. Join the #RaceForRatification. Ask leaders to ratify the Treaty Now!

The High Seas Treaty officially entered into force and now 74 countries and counting have also ratified this groundbreaking treaty to protect the ocean.

highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratif...

Explore the urgent challenges facing American democracy with FRM WI Sen. @russfeingold.bsky.social & NPR's Ron Elving, hosted by @ccps.bsky.social
🗓️ Tue. 10/7 🕑 6 PM ET 📍SIS Founders Room
RSVP: american-spa.swoogo.com/Populists-Plutocrats-Dangers-to-Democracy

Due Diligence and the Establishment of Area-Based Management Tools Including Marine Protected Areas in the BBNJ Agreement This article examines how the concept of due diligence can contribute to the effective implementation of Part III of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diver...

Due diligence should guide High Seas #MPAs under the #BBNJ Agreement.

The author, Sophia Kopela, suggests using the best science, acting quickly and cooperating across bodies to set and enforce protections, with capacity-building support for developing countries.

History made for the ocean: #BBNJ Agreement enters into force, protecting high seas & deep seabed, safeguarding life under water.

“Our ocean is the foundation of our very existence. Today we took an important step forward to save our ocean, & to save our future” - ED @ingerandersen.bsky.social

Nations ratify world's first treaty to protect marine biodiversity in international waters A major agreement to protect marine diversity in the high seas was struck Friday when Morocco became the 60th nation to sign on, paving the way for the treaty to take effect next year.

The High Seas Treaty is the first legal framework aimed at protecting biodiversity in international waters, those that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. https://to.pbs.org/3VKRnMh

Hard-Fought Treaty to Protect Ocean Life Clears a Final Hurdle

“Even though Trump is trying to end-run all this, it will have an impact on the United States. It creates an international regime that the U.S. could ignore, but that its companies may struggle to if they want to do international business.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/c...

During this difficult time in international affairs, this is an important achievement which shows that multilateralism is still alive and that the international community can still come together to achieve great things. #BBNJ

HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR GLOBAL OCEAN PROTECTION: 60th ratification triggers entry into force of High Seas Treaty - High Seas Alliance 19 September 2025. Following the deposit of ratification instruments by four new countries this week at the United Nations–Sri Lanka, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone and Morocco- the High...

The world has acted to protect the ocean with the 60th country ratification which triggers entry into force of the High Seas Treaty!

highseasalliance.org/2025/09/19/h...

A WAVE OF MESSAGES FOR THE HIGH SEAS - High Seas Alliance Treaty Ratification I’ve joined the global call for swift ratification of the #HighSeasTreaty. See messages from around the world and add yours. #RaceForRatification #BBNJ

Add your voice to support the High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean.

highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratif...

High Seas Treaty Ratification: Track Progress See how many ocean champions have ratified the High Seas Treaty so far on the Speed Dial. We need to clock up at least 60 ratifications to put the Treaty into action on the water.

We are working to get the High Seas Treaty ratified by 60 countries to bring it into force. Track the progress along with me! 4 more countries needed to get to 60!

highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratif...

When coal jobs left New River Gorge, its rapids carried on. National park status is powering its revival. In West Virginia's New River Gorge, whitewater rafting — and a 2020 national park designation — is breathing new life into a region once defined by coal mining.

Protecting nature is helping a local economy.

www.cbsnews.com/news/new-riv...

Local View: Veterans defend 'hallowed ground' of Boundary Waters From the column: "(A) sulfide-mining proposal threatens the very lifeblood of the Boundary Waters and northern Minnesota: clean water."

A sulfide mining company can not be trusted to protect a pristine area like the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/colu...

Public lands are not to be gifted to foreign mining billionaires. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.

Grateful to Becky Rom and others who are dedicated to protecting the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area in Minnesota.

www.backcountryhunters.org/public_lands...

Armed Forces Initiative sends letter to Congress "For many of us, these wild places are the last bridge between the war we left behind and the peace we still seek. Does Congress truly intend to burn that bridge with the stroke of a pen?"

The Boundary Waters Wilderness Area helps power the economy in Minnesota. Proud to know veterans are continuing the fight to protect this treasured place.

www.backcountryhunters.org/armed_forces...

Russ Feingold: Messing with the Boundary Waters is bad politics Copper mining in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters is a terrible idea. Why would we ever mine in a place that is almost as much lake as forest?

If you've ever been to the beautiful Boundary Waters area, I hope you'll read this piece I authored in the @chicagotribune.com Or maybe it will remind you of a place in nature that means something to you and how important it is to protect it.

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/08/o...