US lists polar bear as threatened species

[Tripper11]

Source: Associated Press

By H. JOSEF HEBERT – 33 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S Interior Department has decided to protect the polar bear as a threatened species because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming, government officials told The Associated Press.


Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g_jWwGoKVd8C5dxsswWHt8LN6z8wD90LIVBG0

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What? No global warming, no enviromental change? Naww! *sarcasm*

[OhioChick]

1. I Thought That Polar Bears

Were already on the Endangered list?

[nam78_two]

2. K&R.nt

[Robbien]

3. AP might not be saying global warming, but the government is.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/green/?p=1035

I spoke briefly with Andrew Wetzler, he’s Director of the Endangered Species Project with the Natural Resources Defense Council. He said today’s polar bear decision is a watershed event. It means the federal government has now openly acknowledged the effects of global in the Arctic.

Wetzler says “Threatened” is almost as good as “Endangered” in terms of protection. No governmental permits may be issued affecting the polar bear without all concerned government agencies having a say. He indicated the current US government believes it can still go ahead with pet projects in Alaska for oil and gas exploration and exploitation. However, Wetzler says it’s not likely any of those projects would be found legal by the courts as NRDC believes they violate the Endangered Species Act.

But of course the loyal Bushie SoI Kempthorne has another opinion:

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/138852.asp

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne just declared polar bears as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, but said repeatedly that the designation would NOT lead to regulations of greenhouse gas emissions -- despite the fact that the prime threat to the bear was the loss of sea ice from climate change.

Kempthorne also took the opportunity to make clear that he didn't think any past, present or future actions by the oil and gas industry posed any problems for the bears. He called for revisions of the Endangered Species Act, which he called "perhaps the least flexible law" ever passed by Congress. And he praised the Bush administration for taking action to respond to the causes of climate change.

Again, global warming and the loss of sea ice are what's most likely to wipe the bears out, but greenhouse gas emission reductions will not follow from today's designation.

He "praised Bush admin for taking action to respond to the causes of climate change" and with the same breath "called for revisions of Endangered Species Act" in order to break all the rules and drill in the Arctic thus killing off the bears.

[Runcible Spoon]

4. I posted a thread that generated no interest about this about a week and a half ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3250073

putting the polar bear on the endangered species list IS a big deal bc it acknowledges climate change OFFICIALLY and opens the door for environmental groups to go after polluters with better success in court. Dr. Douchebag Kenneth Green, of conservative "thinktank" the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research was scared shitless about this happening and gave all of his doomsday fears in this interview: http://www.newsweek.com/id/135587/page/1

Anyway, three cheers for the polar bear!

[OhioChick]

5. I must have missed it...

Things move rather quickly in GD.

[nam78_two]

8. I missed it

Thankls for posting though :hi:-non controversial stuff tends to sink pretty fast in GD.

[Robbien]

9. When that happens, It gets a little disheartening, does it not?

A thread on an issue near and dear to one's heart dropping quickly off page one can be maddening.

Polar Bears making the threatened list is a HUGE deal for the environment.

I am still amazed it happened.

Thumbs up to the tree huggers who made this happen.

[Runcible Spoon]

11. it is..

but at least I get to keep THIS thread kicked! :hug:

[Robbien]

13. Nice job on putting together that other thread

Your list of GOPer excuses were very imaginative. One could hear those lames excuses coming out of the rabid right's mouths.

Too bad it was overlooked.

And to repeat from the AEI interview:

Is there apprehension that listing the bear signals acceptance that climate change is caused by humans?
AEI: Absolutely. The realization has always been that if you list the polar bear, because its range is the entire Arctic, your ability to exploit the Arctic is essentially done.

Ha!

[MisterP]

19. waaaah! the human economy comes first!

Pamela Purse yelled, "Ladies first,"
Pushing in front of the ice cream line.
...
With a lick of his lips and a fork in his hand,
As he tried to decide who'd be first in the pan--
From back of the line, in that shrill voice of hers,
Pamela Purse yelled, "Ladies first."

--Shel Silverstein

[Kajsa]

22. I'm sorry I missed it.

I'm very concerned with their future, which looks very bleak
right now.

:(

[balantz]

6. Hard to believe this administration let this through,

unless perhaps it will somehow give their oil industry more control of oil exploration in the arctic over the Russians?

[Runcible Spoon]

7. well those in the know assumed this would pass

or at least get the bears listed as protected which would mean groups would again petition for endangered status and the next administration would be the one putting the policy together. Everyone assumes that admin. will be Dem so by listing the bears as endangered NOW they can put together a policy protecting the oil industries which is what they have attempted here. All this means is more lawsuits and political wrangling; but at least the issue is in the open now and the courts will bring more visibility to climate change. There was no way tehy could have just sidesteppted this shit forever and I'm hoping this is the beginning of the fall of this particular house of cards. Of course by the time anything actually happens, the guilty will be out of office and forgotten. Remains to be seen what the next admin. does with this.

[balantz]

14. I'm sorry to say

I have no faith that any real and positive change will be done by any future administartion as long as our government is owned by the mega-corporations of the elite and powerful few.

Which candidate still running has stated that he/she will remove the corporations from the government?

[Runcible Spoon]

15. oh trust me I agree

but at least there will be more visibility. And with visibility hopefully more public pressure. Govt and corporations have gotten away with literal bloody murder and rape just by HIDING and CONCEALING the truth. All I can is hope that people will say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH if they actually have to hear about it everyday. Guess I'm an optimist, today anyway.

[balantz]

16. Optimism can be a good feeling.

I am at the place of neither optimism or pessimism. Things are just as they are.

I must say though that it looks like the ice will not be healed in time to save the habitat of the polar bear.

Let's hear it for the noble polar bear! A beautiful "creation" indeed!

[yardwork]

10. Good. I was afraid that they wouldn't do it.

[truebrit71]

12. ..they also need to REVERSE the decision allowing the hunting of wolves again...

...I cannot WAIT for these criminals to be ejected from office..

[samsingh]

17. i'm glad they're noticing.

[crimsonblue]

18. In a world with laws...

this would mean no ANWR drilling.. but since the laws don't apply to Bush, then I bet he can still find a way to do it. Probably the ole "yeah it may be illegal, but we're gonna do it anyway.. so come stop us" bit.

[Uncle Joe]

20. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Tripper11.

[Runcible Spoon]

21. KnR for today

:kick:

[Kajsa]

23. With that careful selection of words,

"threatened" species doesn't require as much protection and oversight
by comparison to the "endangered" species classification.

Yeah, it's better than no listing.
Yet there is a hollow ring to the gesture from the BA,
which we know REALLY isn't that concerned with the environment and
the wildlife that inhabits it.

Sorry to be such a downer, but I've watched this administration
attempt to reverse all the progress we've made in protecting the
environment and wildlife. In eight years they've done plenty of damage.

:(

[orleans]

24. they just can't bring themselves to list them as a ENDANGERED species. assholes! n/t