Suing for Bears
Two conservation groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Environment are suing the federal government for not doing enough to protect polar bears and walruses against the threats of oil and gas exploration and global warming.
The groups say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not fully consider the effects of global warming, such as diminished sea ice, as it wrote regulations allowing for incidental harassment of polar bears and walruses by the industry in the Beaufort Sea and nearby coastal areas.
The lawsuit focuses on the legal "incidental taking" of polar bears and walruses, which is defined not just as killing an animal, but also as "harassment that disturbs and behavior."
Between 1994 and 2000, oil and gas industries reported 258 polar bear sightings and 66 instances of direct harassment of polar bears, an average of fewer than 10 per year. The number of harassment incidents did jump to 36 in 2004, however.
Does the suit bring more attention to the issues of conservation? Yes. But at what cost?
Comments (8)
I wonder how long the Polar Bears and Walruses took to type up their complaint? Curses those evil oil and gas explorers anyway! I'll dare they scout for more energy supplies so the United States can find it's own oil supplies and tell the middle east (remember, the region that hates us?) to go pound it! And the absurdity from the environmental lunatic fringe continues.
Posted by Oiznop | February 15, 2007 10:02 AM
At what cost, indeed. Who's paying for this bit of frivolity in the courts?
Posted by Barbara Williams | February 15, 2007 10:02 AM
We are in the midst of a population explosion worldwide that is more likely to do great harm than (even) global warming. Already, the median age of people in Africa and in the Islamic world is below 25. Virtually all of these youth are uneducated and live in societies where there is little hope. They are bombarded with TV and movies portraying a life that is impossible for them to match (at best) and viewed as evil and disgusting (at worst.) The result will be violence on a massive scale. The crisis we face is not "just" global warming, but global mass murder. If we can't successfully "build democratic nations" around the world, with a focus on education enabling independence, tyrants will emerge who will brutally bring an end to our modern era. Let's work to do more than feed and cure the children of the 3rd world. If we do only that, we are condemning them to an adulthood of frustration and violence that will lead many to view our gift of food and meds as ultimately, inhumane.
Posted by Karl Quick | February 15, 2007 12:45 PM
My guess you and I and all the taxpayers are going to be priveledged to pay for the lawsuit. I wonder what the polar bears and walruses are going to do with all that money if they win? Maybe save it for a snowy day?
Posted by Julie | February 15, 2007 1:32 PM
Remember the Alaskan pipeline and how its construction would wipe out the caribou? Well, it didn't happen; the caribou are flourishing. This is just more of the same nonsense.
Posted by Rick Ressler | February 15, 2007 2:45 PM
well I see we have two speciests. As the only sentient species on the planet, i.e. cognizant of its existence, humans, especially those of tenchnological societies should have some obligation to protect lower lifeforms since they're incapable of defending themselves. It's not frivolity; it's due respect as these like so many other life forms are our kin. When human numbers dwindle to say 60 million i.e. the number of bison in colonial times, then maybe the arguments of these two would be cogent. I find it amazing that not more is being done to curtail the activities of the ever burgeoning U.S. population. So I ask, is it stupidity from blindness or just plain stupidity?
Posted by Thor | February 15, 2007 11:56 PM
As i recall hearing just this week, ther are more Polar bears on this planet now that there was 20-30 years ago. And there is no such thing as Global warming...it has never been proved..just a concensus, & concensus isn't true Science! anyway how do we control the Sun??!!
Posted by wayne w | February 16, 2007 9:18 AM
This should put the "polar bears drowning" thing to rest:
Full article: http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2007/02/16/opinion/letters/let1.txt
Posted by Chris | February 18, 2007 9:05 AM