Polar Bear Now on U.S. Endangered Species List
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has announced that the polar bear will now be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The listing is based on scientific findings that the loss of sea ice is threatening, and will continue to threaten the survival of the polar bear. Studies last year by the U.S. Geological Survey found that as many as 15,000 polar bears could be lost in the coming decades. Given there are only 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide, this is a huge problem.
The big question appears to be; “When will the lawsuits begin?”.
Adding the polar bear to the endangered species list has a number of repercussions, particularly for the oil companies. About 15 percent of the U.S. oil supplies is produced in Alaska (where polar bears reside).
According to this article, Marilyn Crockett, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association said:
We now have a species threatened which is both healthy in size and population; the real risk is litigation that will follow,
She goes on to say…
Lawsuits will continue to be filed opposing individual operations, lease sales and permits, and that could have a significant impact on business up here
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association represents 17 oil and gas companies, as well as the owners of a trans-Alaskan pipeline.
Environmental groups aren’t happy either. The problem here is in the wording used in the announcement. The Department of Interior was quite clearly pointed out that this decision is not intended to regulate climate change.
Another big question is; “How accurate is the scientific data?”. Because the polar bear population has actually increased from about 5,000 to 12,000 in the 1960s (depending on who you believe), some people suggest that the Department of Interior’s decision is absurd.
Either way, if this ruling helps prevent the polar bear from becoming extinct, that’s got to be a good thing.
Tags: endandered species, polar bears
May 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Why Do We Care If Polar Bears Become Extinct?
This is not any sort of revelation: Polar bears declared a threatened species , but it does raise the question: Why do we care? By some estimates, 90% of all species that once existed are now extinct and new species are always taking their place. For the species that’s going to become extinct, for whatever reason, extinction is the end of it. However, for the species that remain, is the extinction of another species good or bad? When Europeans first colonized North America, there was an estimated five (5) billion Passenger Pigeons alive and well in North America. In 1914, they were extinct. Passenger Pigeons didn’t live in little groups, but huge flocks that required extraordinary quantities of hardwood forests for them to feed, breed and survive. Deforestation to build homes, create farmland and over hunting for cheap food decimated their population. The westward drive to grow the United States in the 1800s and early 1900s was incompatible with the needs of the Passenger Pigeon and they literally could not survive in the new North America being carved out by the U.S. economy. The interesting thing about the Passenger Pigeon was the impact its extinction had on another species—man. That impact was essentially none. Man continued to find ways to feed himself through agriculture and other technologies and the United States and its citizens continued to prosper from the early 20th century till today. Whether or not Polar Bears become extinct because of Global Climate Change or other reasons, we need to address the larger question of: Do we care and why? One of the ways a nation, its citizens and the global community can answer that question is addressed by John A. Warden III in Thinking Strategically About Global Climate Change. He asks some interesting biodiversity questions in his post to include How Many Species Is the Right Number and Which Ones?