ANCHORAGE (May 15, 2008) - The Wilderness Society welcomed a long-awaited decision by the Department of Interior to list the polar bear as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act but expressed concern that a special condition applied to the listing will leave the bear vulnerable to continued impacts of climate change.
The decision to list the bear is based on scientific evidence that polar sea ice, which bears depend on to travel and hunt for food, is melting away as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. The Endangered Species Act is supposed to regulate any activity that might affect a species' habitat, or jeopardize its continued existence, yet this listing includes a special exemption releasing federal agencies from any obligation to address greenhouse gas emissions - the very thing that is impacting the bear and its habitat.
"As pressure to develop oil and gas in the Arctic increases, so does the threat of climate impacts for polar bears, as well as many other species that depend on polar ice for their survival," said Eleanor Huffines, Director of The Wilderness Society's Alaska Regional Office. "If we really want to save the polar bear, as well as the larger Arctic ecosystem, we need to have full protections in place that restrict the kinds of activities that contribute to habitat loss and degradation."
Sea ice melts and refreezes annually, but in the last few years scientists have documented unprecedented melting in the summer, and a thinner ice cover in winter. As the ice pack diminishes, it becomes more difficult to replenish in winter, and more vulnerable to melting in summer. This summer, scientists predict that melting will accelerate beyond any prior predictions, shrinking the Arctic ice cap to unprecedented levels. In 2007, the ice cap shrank by more than one million miles - approximately six times the size of California. At this rate, some leading scientists believe the Arctic Ocean could be entirely ice free by 2012.
In Alaska, dramatic changes like this offer compelling and obvious signs of human-induced climate change impacts and the urgent need to find solutions. The polar bear could become the first mammal to lose 100 percent of its habitat to global warming but other species may not be far behind.
The Wilderness Society is working to address climate change in Alaska by calling attention to the impacts of warming trends, seeking stronger protections for existing wildlife habitat, and encouraging development of alternative sources of energy. As the Bush Administration pushes for rapid expansion of oil and gas development in Alaska's Arctic - both on and offshore - The Wilderness Society is also working to slow these developments, urging more study and greater understanding of the impacts of such development to wildlife and ecosystems before pressing forward.
Meanwhile, yesterday's announcement that the polar bear has been listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act is an important acknowledgement by the Bush Administration that climate change is directly impacting at least one species and its habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be required to prepare a recovery plan for the polar bear, specifying measures necessary for its protection. But, the special exemption for greenhouse gas emissions will prevent the federal government from having to take any action to reduce global warming pollution. The only way to save the polar bear and to make a difference
for our Arctic ecosystems is to reduce emissions of global warming pollution.
