Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted January 1, 2007 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has officially listed the polar bear as a 'threatened' species, due to the meltdown of its sea-ice habitat caused by global warming. This is a huge victory for polar bears, even if it did take a Greenpeace lawsuit to accomplish it. This action comes in response to a lawsuit filed last December under the federal Endangered Species Act by Greenpeace, Center for Biological Diversity, and NRDC. What this means for the polar bear Listing under the United States Endangered Species Act -- America’s safety net for plants and animals on the brink of extinction -- will provide broad protection to polar bears, including a requirement that United States federal agencies ensure that any action carried out, authorized, or funded by the United States government will not “jeopardize the continued existence” of polar bears, or adversely modify their critical habitat. Thin Ice Polar bears live only in the Arctic and are totally dependent on the sea ice. A growing body of evidence shows that the Arctic ice is vanishing much faster than previously expected. The thick multiyear ice has been shrinking eight to 10 percent per decade, with some climate models predicting that the Arctic could be ice-free in summer as early as 2050. In some polar regions, the sea ice season has shortened as much as three weeks, and scientists have discovered that the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate - more than a million square miles - losing an area the size of Colorado in just the last year. Read more about the polar bear. Thanks to all of you who took action to protect the polar bear. It couldn't have happened without you! you CAN make a difference! Get on the greenpeace mailing list too!!!! http://www.greenpeace.org Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pchan 5,162 Report post Posted January 1, 2007 Kickass ... I remember we were all talking about this some time back, and wondering why they weren't given much deserved importance. I'm just about the join the mailing list heh. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted January 1, 2007 their online letter campagnes work! Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
