KEY POINTS:
WASHINGTON - In a landmark decision, the Bush Administration has concluded that global warming is endangering the existence of the polar bear - an admission that could force the United States Government to act to curb the emission of greenhouse gases.
In a sharp reversal from its previous position, the Government has decided the iconic creatures should be listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act because of the widescale melting of Arctic sea ice - the bear's prime habitat.
The decision by the Department of the Interior has huge implications that go beyond the survival of the polar bear; the 1973 law not only requires the Government to come up with a recovery plan for the bears but also prevents it from "enacting, funding, or authorising [actions which] adversely modify the animal's critical habitats".
Campaigners said the decision provided the bear with new protection and opened the way for widespread legal action to force the Bush Administration, which has rejected the Kyoto Treaty, to limit emission of carbon dioxide and other warming gases.
"I think this is a watershed decision," said Kassie Siegel of the Centre for Biological Diversity, one of three groups that petitioned the department to act. "Even the Bush Administration can no longer deny the science. This is a victory for the polar bear, and all wildlife threatened by global warming. This is the beginning of a sea change in the way this country addresses global warming."
Andrew Wetzler of the Natural Resources Defence Council, added: "Global warming is the single biggest threat to polar bears' survival, and this will require the Government to address the impacts on the polar bear."
It has long been known that global warming and the melting of Arctic ice were threatening the existence of polar bears, the world's largest bear whose total population is estimated at about 22,000, located in Canada, the US, Greenland, Russia and Norway. The Swiss-based Polar Bear Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union has estimated the bear's numbers will plunge by 30 per cent over the next 45 years as a result of melting ice.
Anecdotal testimony from the Inuit in Alaska and Canada suggests that thinning ice and longer summers are resulting in fewer polar bears - some of which are drowning at sea, trapped on melting floes. This month researchers from the Colorado-based National Centre for Atmospheric Research suggested summer ice may disappear entirely by 2040 - 40 years earlier than previous estimates.
The department said yesterday that it had decided to list the polar bear as "endangered" - a category reserved for species more likely to become extinct. The public has 90 days to comment on the decision before it is enacted. A department official told the Washington Post: "We've reviewed all the available data that leads us to believe the sea ice the polar bear depends on has been receding. Obviously, the sea ice is melting because the temperatures are warmer."
Though the US is responsible for 25 per cent of the world's carbon emissions, the Bush Administration has resolutely refused to enforce limits or else enter legally binding international agreements to tackle climate change, saying such a move would damage the economy. Last month lawyers from the Environmental Protection Agency argued before the Supreme Court that the science on climate change was uncertain. They further argued that the agency was not empowered to act to curb emissions.
Steadily shrinking arctic bad news for bears
On the slide:
There are between 20,000 and 25,000 Arctic bears. The American state of Alaska has about 4700. The Polar Bear Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union predicts a 30 per cent decline in numbers over 45 years.
Melting habitat:
The population is being put at risk by melting sea ice, pollution, hunting, development and even tourism. The union says sea ice is expected to decrease by 50-100 per cent over the next 50-100 years.
Why it happened:
The decision from the US Department of the Interior, which oversees endangered species, coincides with a court-ordered deadline. In February 2005, the Centre for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defence Council and Greenpeace petitioned the Department of the Interior to protect the polar bears. After officials missed a deadline for deciding earlier this year, the groups sued and agreed on yesterday's deadline.
What it means:
Being listed as "threatened" is a step below "endangered". All US federal agencies would be required to not take decisions that would threaten polar bears' survival.
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