Best Environmental Charities for Climate Change

We are faced every day with new information about the deterioration of our surrounding environment. Air and water contamination, climate change, habitat loss, rising sea levels, it’s almost difficult to keep going, particularly for those who want to give back and make sure their contributions end up in the most productive hands.

On every Earth Day, you might be thinking that how can you save our natural environment and earth from contamination and environmental degradation.

You might be thinking about some possible solutions like planting a tree and restricting the usage of some hazardous materials. You might also want to give back to this beautiful earth. Therefore, environmental charities are formed and supported by thousands of people around the world. We all call this world home, after all — and it’s the only one we have.

Well, we have brought a list of some of the best environmental charities where you can contribute your share to save this home Earth.

If you are looking for Canadian information, you can donate to our recommended Best Environmental Charities in Canada via our donation marketplace.

The David Suzuki Foundation

The David Suzuki Foundation is a science-based environmental group with branches in Montreal and Toronto, and headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a non-profit organization organized in both Canada and the United States, and is funded by nearly 30,000 donors.

On 14 September 1990, the Foundation was established. It opened its doors officially on 1st January 1991. This is a federally registered Canadian charity and is completely funded by grants and contributions from the Foundation. It accepts no government funding except the National Research Council of Canada for Sciences and Engineering. Also, it is not a funding body for other organizations.

The foundation’s mission is to “protect the beauty of nature and the well-being of every person, now and for the future,” and their dream is that “we all live on the belief that we are one with nature every day.

David Suzuki is a brilliant Canadian icon who for his entire life has campaigned for environmental rights. David and his foundation are aimed at improving environmental protection, discovering alternative climate solutions, and growing and preserving biodiversity. The foundation also supports environmental education and advocates policies for indigenous peoples.

If you are looking for country-specific charities listing or nonprofits listing, you can check out our best charity listing below:

• United States – the Absolute Best Environmental Charities, Nonprofits, Groups, and Organizations in the United States of America (USA)
• Canada – Best Environmental Charities to donate to in Canada

The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund is an American non-profit environmental fund with a dual charter to promote environmental sustainability and economic development. The group has conserved over 7 million acres of land and water in all 50 states, including parks, historic battlefields, and wildlife areas, since its founding in 1985.

The Fund works to develop creative solutions that combine economic and environmental priorities with community and government members, entrepreneurs, landowners, voluntary organizations and other stakeholders. The Fund also works with communities to strategically plan construction and green space and provide training in natural resource management and sustainable use.

The group initiated Go Zero in 2005, an effort dedicated to offsetting climate change through the planting of trees. They have since planted over 10 million trees and reclaimed more than 32,000 acres of land.

Through donating to the Conservation Fund, you would be pleased to know that your money is being put to good use: a whopping 97% of their funds are committed to the specified task — the highest rate of any charity in the region.

Earthjustice

Earthjustice is the leading non-profit group on environmental law in the United States. They’re committed to using unrivaled legal experience in environmental litigation. Headquartered in San Francisco, it has 14 U.S regional offices, an international network, a marketing department, and policy & legislative department in Washington DC.

The organization was established in 1971 to battle the ambitions of Walt Disney to establish a ski resort in Mineral King Valley that happened to be in the National Park of Sequoia. Earthjustice not only blocked any future developments on the land with their landmark lawsuit but also set a precedent for granting citizens the right to sue for environmental harm.

As of September 2018, the association offered free legal services to over 1,000 members from the Sierra Club, the World Wildlife Fund and the American Lung Association to smaller state and national organizations such as the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and the Everglades Friends.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE

Environmental Defence (formerly known as the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund) was founded in 1984 and is a Canadian environmental organization. Its awareness and research areas include hazardous contaminants, urban sprawl, oil sands, global warming, quality of water and endangered species.

Environmental Defence Canada is one of the main environmental conservation groups in Canada, whose mission is to protect Canadian freshwater, global warming and how they communicate with our economy. Environmental protection is responsible for several big policy reforms, such as banning BPA from baby bottles and creating the Alliance for the Green Energy Act.

Environmental Defence was part of the Green Energy Act Alliance’s making. The Green Energy and Economy Act, a first for North America, was introduced in Ontario in 2009 and outlined a strategy for improving conservation, increasing renewable energy generation and creating green jobs. The Act was part of the Ontario government’s plan to place the province on a path to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time becoming a pioneer in the growing global renewable energy market.

Environmental Defence reported in its 2018 annual report that it had collected over C$ 3.8 million over the previous year.

350.Org

International environmental group 350.org is committed to combating climate change by reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to a sustainable amount of 350 parts per million. (Right now we are resting at 400 parts per million.)

The key mission of 350.org, established in 2007, is to take the fight to the fossil-fuel industry. One of their greatest successes occurred in 2015 when former President Barack Obama was convinced to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline.

350.Org has organized thousands of volunteer activists in over 188 countries through online campaigns, grassroots mobilization, mass public initiatives, and cooperation with a broad network of partner organizations and groups. This is one of the several leaders of the Global Climate Strike that emerged from the Fridays for Future campaign from 20 to 27 September 2019.

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society focuses on land conservation through the establishment of national and provincial parks and other wilderness areas. CPAWS has more than 15,000 volunteer members on its network.

CPAWS is the symbol of wildlife safety in Canada. This has championed conservation of Canada’s forests, waters, and parks for more than 50 years, with an emphasis on protecting large, interconnected areas. To date, CPAWS has worked to help secure more than 50 million hectares. The dream of CPAWS is to preserve at least half of Canada’s public land and wild water-forever.

Canada is home to some of the largest unbroken woodland tracts on the world, from the huge northern Boreal forest to the temperate forests that extend through Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. The aim of CPAWS is to protect at least half of Canada’s boreal forests and establish a network of large protected areas within New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec’s temperate eastern woodlands.

Canada has one of the world’s largest and widespread park systems. CPAWS campaigns for new parks and serves as a watchdog to ensure the effective maintenance of existing ones. With strains on that forests in Canada, it’s more important than ever to establish more parks and ensure existing ones are well-funded and protected.