US admits climate change could kill off polar bears
ETHAN MCNERN
THE polar bear is to be listed as an endangered species by the White House, with the Bush administration admitting for the first time that climate change is behind the potential demise of a species.
"We've reviewed all the available data that leads us to believe the sea ice the polar bear depends on has been receding," a US interior department official told the Washington Post. "Obviously, the sea ice is melting because the temperatures are warmer."
He said government officials had concluded that polar bears could be endangered within 45 years.
The Bush administration has consistently rejected the scientific thesis that human activity is contributing to global warming and has resisted capping greenhouse gas emissions as bad for American businesses and workers.
Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which is produced by burning fossil fuels, trap heat in the atmosphere. Scientists say rising temperatures could raise sea levels and cause more droughts, floods and heatwaves.
Yesterday's statement followed a legal settlement with environmental groups, including Greenpeace, that argued that Washington had failed to respond quickly enough to the polar bear's plight. Andrew Wetzler, of the Natural Resources Defence Council, said: "It's such a loud recognition that global warming is real. It is rapidly threatening the polar bear and, in fact, an entire ecosystem with utter destruction."
The bears are estimated to number between 22,000 and 25,000 worldwide, with populations in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia.
* Climate change
news.scotsman.com
thescotsman.scotsman.com |
