As a public comment period
comes to a close on a proposed rule to list the polar bear as a threatened
species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to announce the receipt
of more than 500,000 electronic comments and hundreds of submissions from
schoolchildren to environmental groups to industry groups. If listed, the
polar bear would be the first mammal to receive protected status under the
Endangered Species Act because of the threat of global warming.
“We’re past the canary in the coalmine,” said
Environment Arizona program associate Erik Magnuson. “Global warming
threatens the survival of
powerful, majestic animals that have thrived for thousands of years in
the
harshest of environments,” Magnuson continued.
In proposing the polar bear as threatened, the Fish and
Wildlife Service cited observations and predictions of declining Arctic sea
ice, which the bears use to hunt for prey. “The ground beneath their paws
is literally melting,” said Magnuson.
In February, in the first volume of a major report on global
warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced with at
least 90% certainty that human activities are the primary cause of global
warming. On April 6th, the second volume from the IPCC found
that human-caused global warming could cause the extinction of 30% of
species. Scientists from more than 120 countries, including the U.S.,
approved the IPCC report.
“It’s not just polar bears—every living being on this planet
has a stake in this. The good news is that we can harness American
ingenuity to take advantage of the solutions at our fingertips,” Magnuson
said. “Renewable energy and a more energy efficient economy will address
global warming and also clean up our air, save money, and protect our pristine
places from drilling and mining. These are win-win solutions,” Magnuson
continued.
To avoid the worst consequences of global warming,
scientists say the U.S.
must stabilize global warming emissions within the next decade, begin reducing
them soon thereafter, and cut emissions by 80% by the middle of this
century. Several bills in Congress would achieve those reductions, including
the Safe Climate Act, and the Global
Warming Pollution Reduction Act, introduced in January by 12 senators.
The final decision on listing the polar bear is expected in
January 2008.
