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Polar bears need increased government protection because their icy habitat is melting as a result of global warming, according to the Bush administration.
On Wednesday, December 27, 2006, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne proposed classifying polar bears as a “threatened” species on the government’s list of species that are in danger of extinction. The “endangered” classification is reserved for species at even greater risk.
Environmentalists hailed the move for the sake of the polar bears, but also expressed cautious optimism about what appeared to be a new willingness by the Bush administration to acknowledge the growing effects of global warming and to take action to address them.
How Global Warming Threatens Polar Bears
Current estimates place the global polar bear population at between 20,000 and 25,000, but warming temperatures have been melting Arctic sea ice at an alarming rate, depriving the polar bears of their natural habitat and making it harder for them to find food. In spring 2006, scientists found the bodies of several polar bears that had starved to death. Reduced food availability due to global warming has also resulted in polar bear cannibalism off the north coast of Alaska and Canada.
Some polar bears have drowned while attempting to swim to safety after being trapped on small islands of melting ice. The U.S. Minerals Management Service documented the drowning of at least four polar bears in September 2004, when the sea ice retreated a record 160 miles off the northern coast.
Arctic sea ice, which is the polar bears natural habitat and hunting ground, appears to be melting at a rapid rate. On December 12, 2006, scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research said that the Arctic could be ice-free in summer as early as 2040, and in the next 20 years the extent of Arctic sea ice will be reduced by 80 percent.
New Proposal is Legal Victory for Environmentalists
The proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service comes as the result of a long court battle by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace to secure government protection for polar bears, including action to address the effects of global warming on their sea-ice habitat.
"This is a victory for the polar bear, and all wildlife threatened by global warming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. "This is the beginning of a sea change in the way this country addresses global warming. There is still time to save polar bears but we must reduce global warming pollution immediately."
Peer Review and Public Comment
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now has 12 months to obtain peer review and public comment on its proposal before issuing a final decision about whether to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The government already has received more than 200,000 comments in support of listing the polar bear, including letters from leading polar bear experts, climate scientists, and many members of Congress.
"Sand in the hourglass is running out for polar bears," said United States Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA). "Congress needs to take bold steps to reduce global warming pollution before time runs out for this and other species."
If the final decision is to add polar bears to the list, federal agencies will be required to ensure that any action they authorize, finance, or carry out will not jeopardize the polar bears continued existence as a species or adversely modify the polar bears’ critical habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also be required to prepare a recovery plan for the polar bear, specifying measures necessary for the species’ protection.
U.S. Track Record on Global Warming
The United States is currently the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that trap heat and cause global warming, primarily carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks and power plants. Some states, such as California, have taken action to reduce global warming pollution, but the federal government has yet to take serious action.
"The United States has failed to lead the world in tackling global warming. With under five percent of the world's people, we generate more than 20 percent of the global warming pollution," said Kert Davies, Greenpeace research director. "We must start cutting greenhouse gas emissions or the polar bear will be pushed to the brink of extinction within our lifetime."
Shortly after taking office, President Bush refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for mandated controls on greenhouse gas emissions, and the Bush administration has repeatedly drawn international criticism for failing to help reduce global warming and for attempting to stop its own climate scientists from speaking out about the effects of global warming.
Originally Posted by Hagbard Celine
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