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Polar bears on thin ice

These creatures deserve the protection of the Endangered Species Act

Published on Tuesday, May 06, 2008

In December 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed coming to the rescue of the threatened polar bear. The agency called for providing protections permitted under the federal Endangered Species Act. Sound science drove the decision, and yet the Bush White House has resisted the step the past 16 months.

Thankfully, a federal judge recently ran out of patience, ordering the Department of the Interior to make a decision about the polar bear by May 15.

The Center for Biological Diversity points to the deepening trouble faced by polar bears. In 2007, the shrinkage of summer sea ice reached a stunning 1 million square miles below the average from 1979 to 2000. Scientists have projected that by 2030 (or earlier), the Arctic may be free of ice, something that has not occurred for 800,000 years.

The U.S. Geological Survey forecasts that by 2050, the polar bear population will decline by two-thirds.

Why has the Bush White House balked at taking action? Officials have pointed to the complexity of the issue and expressed concern about projections amounting largely to speculation. All of this has seemed more dodge than anything else. Confront the plight of the polar bear, and you must look squarely at the consequences of global warming.

Polar bears aren't diminishing at the hand of hunters, or due to the likes of DDT that harmed bald eagles. They are victims of the greenhouse gases from power plants, cars and other inventions of humans driving the melting of Arctic ice. The polar bear deserves the protection of the Endangered Species Act, just as the country deserves leaders ready to face the hard work of combating climate change.

In December 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed coming to the rescue of the threatened polar bear. The agency called for providing protections permitted under the federal Endangered Species Act. Sound science drove the decision, and yet the Bush White House has resisted the step the past 16 months.

Get the full article here.


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