Unfortunately, the world is not a very peaceful or safe place for many individuals. From conflict to abuse to exploitation, there is so much cruelty inflicted on both humans and animals. While this can get disheartening and difficult to hear about, petitions are a great way to use your voice for good. Just by signing one, you are a part of helping those who are not treated fairly. You can even share them with your friends and acquaintances to increase your impact.

Through petitions, we can reach those in power and demand justice for others. They are valuable tools for making positive changes in the world. If you are looking for a way to help animals and humans, here are 10 petitions you should sign this week, including Get Rid of Loopholes in Endangered Species Act, Help Animal Sanctuaries in Texas, and Save Cows Stranded at Sea

We want to thank you for being the change you wish to see in the world and giving a voice to the voiceless.

1. Tell Biden to Get Rid of Loopholes in Endangered Species Act

Source: Reczy Studio/Shutterstock

Climate change is an obvious threat to wildlife. It destroys their habitats, disrupts migration patterns, and can make finding food more difficult. However, in 2008, the Bernhardt Memorandum was added to the ESA, which made delisted greenhouse gas emissions and Climate change as threats to wild animals. This loophole means that Climate change isn’t taken into account when listing animals under the ESA and government agencies don’t need to consider the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on vulnerable species. Sign this petition to tell Joe Biden to strip these harmful, illegal loopholes from administrations past out of the ESA so it can finally, fully protect vulnerable animals!

2. Help Animal Sanctuaries in Texas

A savage winter storm – combined with a privatized power grid – has left Texas in a state of emergency. This crisis had devastating effects on humans and animals alike. At the Primarily Primates sanctuary, at least 12 animals died as a result of power loss. Staff rushed to save the other primates and some staff had to sleep in their cars to care for them. The sanctuary needed many donations from the community to keep these animals warm and alive. Sign this petition to demand that Texas lawmakers provide immediate aid to animal sanctuaries that were affected by this disaster.

3. Reform Conservatorship Laws

Source: Brut America/YouTube

Conservatorships are legal arrangements, in which a conservator “takes care” of another individual, who has been deemed “unfit” to care for themself. That individual is required to relinquish all of their rights to the conservator, including the right to vote, marry, have/see their children, spend their money, decide what medications to take, hire a lawyer, and have any contact with the outside world. Conservatorships are nearly impossible to get out of because they were designed for people close to death. However, they are now common for people who have mental health issues and disabilities. While they may need more Support, taking away their rights isn’t the answer. Sign this petition to demand that the U.S. Congress reform conservatorships to make them a last resort and pass legislation providing ample resources for conserved individuals to regain their full rights as human beings!

4. Implement Meatless Mondays

It’s never too late for resolutions! #NYCMayorsAnimals encourages NYers to join the City in our goals to ensure healthy lives and a livable climate by eating less meat this year. It’s better for you, the planet, and the animals! See our newsletter: https://t.co/6s4Mjw8TZx pic.twitter.com/Vl1oyN7qFv

— NYC Mayor's CAU (@mayorsCAU) February 11, 2021

As of February 2021, New York City is officially asking its residents to observe Meatless Mondays and reduce beef consumption by at least 50%, replacing meats with plant-based options that are kinder to animals, healthier, and less harmful to the environment. This request could have a huge impact on people’s awareness of the harm that factory farming causes to the environment, animals, and people. Now, we have to encourage other cities to follow New York’s lead. Sign this petition asking Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston — the next three largest American cities — to implement Meatless Mondays to combat Climate change!

5. Justice for Michelangelo, the Senior Tortoise

Source: KPIX CBS SF Bay Area/YouTube 

When Michelangelo, a 70-year-old tortoise, was in his 60s, he was adopted by a preschool class. One day, a man named George Robles broke into the school and almost killed Michelangelo by hitting and stabbing the poor animal with various materials. If a neighbor hadn’t heard the noise and called authorities, Michelangelo probably wouldn’t have survived. After George Robles was arrested and released, he went back to the preschool to find the tortoise again! He clearly needs mental health help before he hurts another animal or human being. Sign this petition to demand justice for Michelangelo!

6. Pass COVID Stimulus Relief Package

Source: Quest Means Business/YouTube

The pandemic has caused businesses to shut down, eviction rates to surge, and unemployment to reach new highs. People are forced to turn to crowd-funding websites and publicly plead for donations in order to afford groceries, pet food, rent, utilities, and even medical bills. This should not be happening in one of the richest countries in the world. The government is supposed to use our tax-funded money to make sure that no family has to turn to sites like GoFundMe just to keep their children fed, clothed, housed, and safe during a pandemic. As Tim Cadogan, the CEO of GoFundMe, said in his recent opinion piece in USA Today: “our platform was never meant to be a source of Support for basic needs, and it can never be a replacement for robust federal COVID-19 relief that is generous and targeted to help the millions of Americans who are struggling.” Sign this petition to demand that Congress pass COVID stimulus package to help everyday people, now!

7.  Repeal Anti-Choice Law in South Carolina

Source: CBS This Morning/YouTube

Recently, South Carolina passed a “heartbeat bill,” which outlaws abortion after a heartbeat can be detected in an ultrasound. This bill effectively outlaws abortion since heartbeats can be heard within about 6 weeks of a pregnancy, which is often before a person even knows they are pregnant. These kinds of bills cause more people to get unsafe abortions or carry unwanted pregnancies to term, which can harm the physical and mental health of the pregnant individual. Instead, the state should be focusing on creating more robust sex education programs, making birth control free, and bolstering social programs to help families with young children. Planned Parenthood and another clinic are battling the law in court and hopefully, it will get overturned. Sign this petition to tell South Carolina legislators to repeal this law now!

8. Urge France to Combat E-Waste From Cellphones

Source: CBS This Morning/YouTube

The cellphone industry’s planned obsolescence (technology going bad on purpose to drive up demand, thus profits) and contractual luring, are killing our planet. 80% of the environmental devastation from smartphones comes from the creation process. Thus, most of the environmental damage could be avoided if our cell phones lasted longer and we were encouraged to use them until they stopped working. Sadly, smartphone companies are motivated by profits, and thus, they intentionally make their phones go bad quickly and encourage people to get upgrades often. Fortunately, France is considering new regulations that would eliminate early renewal or upgrading of smartphones in exchange for customers signing a new contract with a provider. Sign this petition to tell the French Government to greenlight proposed regulations that would fight this wasteful cycle!

9. Make Ear Cropping, Tail Docking, and Dewclawing Illegal

Source: Shakira Free/YouTube

Tail docking is when someone cuts off a dog’s tail, only leaving a nub. It is done to puppies at only a few days old, when they are still too young to even be able to get anesthesia. Ear cropping involves cutting off part of a dog’s ears while they’re between eight and twelve weeks old. They then tape the ears so that they heal upright. Dewclawing is the equivalent of amputating a finger.  All three of these procedures are painful and dangerous and cruel. We should not allow dog owners to mutilate their animals just so they look a certain way. Sign this petition to urge Congress to make ear cropping, tail docking, declawing illegal and classify them as animal abuse!

10. Help Cows Stranded at Sea

Source: Guardian News/YouTube

On December 18, 2020, two live animal export ships of around 2,600 cows total departed from Spain. They were on their way to Libya when both ships had an outbreak of bluetongue disease, which causes cows to develop a fever and swell throughout their bodies. This makes moving, swallowing, and breathing extremely difficult, and can even result in death. Ports have turned the ships away and so they have been stuck at sea for months now. Wanting to quarantine the animals is understandable, but they aren’t even getting vet care. They are being left to die a  slow, agonizing death in cramped, unsanitary quarters. Sign this petition to tell the governments of nations closest to their location, to send in veterinarians to help these poor, sick cows who have been stranded at sea for over two months!

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