U.S. Wants Polar Bears on Threatened List
Under pressure from three environmental advocacy groups - the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace - the Bush administration has decided to make a proposal to list polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This is significant because it raises the legal question of whether the government would then be required to legislate restrictions on industrial carbon dioxide emissions.
The world has 19 separate polar bear populations, many of which have not been fully assessed. The bears live in Arctic regions in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. The bears which are known to be most stressed are those which live around Canada's Hudson Bay. Alaska's polar bear population is also starting to show signs of being stressed, however, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the future of the bear populations.
"This proposal is sort of like a scientific hypothesis. You put this out there and say to the world, 'Tell us, is this right or is this wrong?' " the official said, adding that Interior will hold several public hearings about its proposal. "We're projecting what we think will happen in the future, not just what's happening at this moment."
The proposal could take up to a year to complete.
Image courtesy of earthobservatory.nasa.gov.
Comments (4)
This is just more proof of why the EPA is a quack outfit. Most of the garbage studies they produce are outcome-based, that is, they decide what they want to do and then dummy up the research to support it.
Polar bears aren't endangered, but then neither are owls, but the EPA persists in making regulations that destroy property rights and value, jobs, even whole communities.
Now you will find people who will argue that environmental regulations create jobs and that is true to a point. The problem is that the regualtions don't create as many jobs that are lost, and the jobs that are created are parasitic, not productive. To explain what I mean let's take forrestry for example: The spotted owl fraud destroyed the lumber industry for many towns in the northwest. Those jobs produced forrest products. The environmental jobs don't produce anything - they are a cost that is added back into the price we pay for the end product.
Posted by woodNfish | December 30, 2006 12:41 PM
If one were to go to projectcensored.com they would find a much more inclusive and non-restricted source of information on just how endangered these polar bears are. They are canabalizing one another because the pack ice they normaly hunt their food source on is dissappearing. This is a direct result of global warming.
We as an industrial nation have caused this problem and it is NOT going to go away by itself. We have got to protect this beautiful rock we live on. What good will a "job" or a "community be you if you cannot breathe the air or drink the water? Much less survive the hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes!! Are we all so blind to what is really going on around us and so content in our ignorance that we truly beleive what our government influenced agencies are telling us?
Let me tell you something. Our oceans are dying. The very base of the food chain is being disseminated. Very soon there will be no chance of reversing this process which industrialization has started and perpetuated.
Our own ignorance and refusal to live in harmony with our surroundings, with our Earth WILL cause our own extinction.
PLEASE WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by 14wood | January 3, 2007 12:11 PM
The first thing George W. Bush did when he became govenor of Texas was to relax the environmental laws so his friends could get richer. I believe he makes a lot of his decisions this way. Lets hope we wake up and stop the greed!
Posted by freshair | January 3, 2007 2:52 PM
Hi dear,
How r u doing?
Well, today I’ve found something, a news which would surely move you… will push you to think about it and ask others too to do the same. I can bet that! And yes, do suggest me if you think, it will help all and me. Please, I would request you here, to mail this stuff to all the people you know (your friends and relatives) and make them work on this… believe me – this thing won’t only help you or me but to your children and grandchildren and to all the generations to come. However, please lemme know, whatever do u think abt this mail on my links… awaiting your earliest response.
The case:
WWF website states: "By 2100, there may be no ice left in the Arctic in the summer and that means no polar bears. It explains, “Global warming, caused by fossil fuels - is all to blame”. Sources say, “Global Warming could cause Mass Extinctions by 2050!” Can we afford to lose these? Join me to call the world for help.
Global warming – “An observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere”. This is rapidly raising the sea levels. Now, the world's greater environmental challenge is fast becoming too hot to handle. Moreover, close is the world to disaster with ozone depletion. Every single individual will suffer the outcomes of Global Warming.
Global warming is a threat that has gone unchecked for too long, a riveting story of climate change that has reshaped our planet's evolution & a bracing scenario of catastrophes brewing in the future. The changes are happening largely out of sight; all the same, they shouldn’t be out of mind. These aren't projections; they are facts on the ground. We are running out of time. All the facts demand urgent solution, & policymakers need to act before the problem gets out of control. It is not too late yet.
Now, you must be thinking – What can I do from my side, Right? Well, there are many simple things you can do, which can have an instant effect on your immediate surroundings & on places as far away as Antarctica too. Here is a list of few things that you can do to make a difference!
1. Replace frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones.
2. Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper.
3. Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated and change car’s air filter monthly. Better, get a hybrid car or a fuel-efficient car and carpooling with friends & co-workers helps too.
4. Move your heater thermostat down 2 degrees in winter & up 2 degrees in the summer and keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F.
5. Clean or replace dirty AC filters and get wind certificates & green tags. Buy products locally & reduce the amount of energy required to drive & yes purchase minimally packaged goods to reduce garbage. Purchase organic food & use cloth bags instead of plastic or paper bags to reduce waste. Weatherize your home & plant trees.
6. Inefficient old appliances waste energy, replace them. Electronic devices use energy even when turned off so unplug them.
7. Insulate your Home & switch to double pane windows to keep more heat inside your home. Air-dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
You will find more information on http://www.weblobbying.com/Lobbies/default.asp?Lid=474 .
Well, fact is that we are running out of time! Is the society aware of the seriousness of the global warning called Global Warming? The changes are happening largely out of sight. Nevertheless, they shouldn't be out of mind, because they are omens of what's in store for the rest of the planet. To alter fundamentally the trajectory of global greenhouse emissions, it is going to take a tremendous & concentrated global effort. So, make your move, step forward & contribute your share at
http://www.weblobbying.com/Lobbies/default.asp?Lid=474
Our children, grand children, & generations to come will bear the consequences of choices that we make, now. We may perhaps destroy whole nations & their cultures that have existed for thousands of years! Can we afford to lose the precious gift of Wild life of varied species on poles and do you think we are prepared to suffer the consequences?
Please help save our Mother Earth from the disastrous effects of global warming before its too late! It is our hope that your action, awareness & empowerment can make a difference & help stop global warming. Take Action now!
Your well-wisher and friend,
Karan Kapoor.
Posted by Karan | January 5, 2007 6:00 AM