Future reduction of sea ice in the Arctic could result in a loss of 2/3 of the world’s polar bear population within 50 years according to a series of studies released today by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Last December, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was proposing to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. In January 2008, following a one-year review period, the Service is expected to make a recommendation to Secretary Kempthorne on whether or not to list the polar bear as threatened. What would make this listing special is that it would be the first based solely on global warming threats to a species. Something the Bush administration is reluctant to do based on its “put your head in the sand” policy on climate change. Saying the polar bear is threatened because of global warming, is a lot like saying global warming is real, you see the dilemma for them. If they admit that we are to blame for the plight of the polar bear, then some might say we should do something to stop it.
To assist the Service in making that recommendation, Secretary Kempthorne requested USGS leadership in studies to inform the Service’s deliberations on polar bear status. This information summarizes and integrates the results from a series of studies on polar bear populations, range-wide habitats and changing sea ice conditions in the Arctic.