| The Arctic and the Antarctic regions play | | | | Diversity, the National Resources Defense |
| very important roles. How? First, like the | | | | Council or NRDC, and Greenpeace. |
| human eyes, they are the mirrors to the soul; | | | | |
| they are the first to manifest adverse | | | | For years, these three have been urging the |
| effects like global warming. We witness these | | | | US government precisely to act on the |
| changes rather most drastically in these | | | | problem. It could be victory for the group, |
| polar regions. Another correspondingly direct | | | | but not much since it has taken the concerned |
| effect of global warming is: any change in | | | | authorities this long ; it will now take |
| the polar conditions affects those of all the | | | | painstaking effort to save the polar bears |
| other regions. | | | | from extinction. An NRDC executive strongly |
| | | | referred to global warming as the one major |
| Once the polar ice melts, this flushes more | | | | threat to the survival of the polar bears. He |
| freshwater from the region's rivers, | | | | urged further to stop delaying the action and |
| consequently holding the ocean from | | | | to go full-force; no more half-measures. |
| circulating fast enough, thereby causing | | | | |
| higher sea levels. With more ice melting, | | | | Enlisting the species as endangered is not |
| more land and bodies of liquid water are | | | | even the culmination of the unified effort; |
| exposed to the heat of the sun. These two, | | | | it is only the initial part of a long |
| which naturally absorb more heat than snow | | | | process. It should take the US Fish and |
| and ice, causes more warming oceans and land | | | | Wildlife Service around one year to study the |
| masses. Worst of all is borne by the Arctic's | | | | proposal before they decide on an action to |
| perennially frozen soil - melting of the | | | | take. Meantime, there is imminent danger that |
| polar ice releases the greenhouse gases | | | | the polar bear would totally lose its sea-ice |
| (carbon and methane) trapped within. This is | | | | habitat as this one year rolls by. Loss of |
| very dangerous as the Arctic permafrost | | | | sea ice also means loss of their main source |
| contains a third of the planet's total soil | | | | of food which are ice seals. This could also |
| carbon content. | | | | result to more mortality as the bears would |
| | | | tend to cannibalize their ranks in the |
| Man-made emissions would fade in comparison | | | | absence of prey. Why? Mainly because |
| is all this carbon were released. The | | | | enlisting a species as endangered does not |
| National Center for Atmospheric Research has | | | | necessarily mean ready plans would |
| also predicted that the Arctic could be | | | | immediately be implemented. |
| ice-free starting 2040 and sea ice reduced by | | | | |
| 80% in the next couple of decades. | | | | Steps would involve a stoppage on all |
| | | | activities that threaten the bears survival, |
| Warming of the Arctic has already been felt | | | | before developing and implementing of a |
| and is now a cause for apprehension. | | | | recovery plan are put to order by the Fish |
| According to the Polar Bear Specialist Group | | | | and Wildlife Service. Faced with the rate |
| (the absolute scientific authority on | | | | greenhouse gases are being emitted from the |
| everything involving polar bears) several (5) | | | | Arctic, this will indeed be a daunting task. |
| of their populations in the world are now | | | | |
| stamped as declining. | | | | Talking about populations, it is not just |
| | | | that of the polar bears which lie victim to |
| Just recently, the US. Fish and Wildlife | | | | global warming. The Inuits, (a member of the |
| Service (USF & WS) announced that the polar | | | | Eskimo peoples living in northernmost North |
| bears who once roamed the territory freely | | | | America down to eastern Canada and Greenland) |
| may soon be classified under the list of | | | | depend on the sea ice for food. The dismal |
| endangered species. The agency has, in fact, | | | | and continued shortening of their hunting |
| done the initial steps already formally | | | | season by 50% has had drastic effects on |
| proposing to do such that, include the polar | | | | their lives. |
| bears in the critical registry. This alarming | | | | |
| announcement has, in effect, granted the | | | | Will it not be long till a people and an era |
| request (later escalating to a demand by way | | | | vanished from the face of the earth? Can we |
| of a lawsuit against the USF & WS) of 3 | | | | do something about it? |
| organizations (the Center for Biological | | | | |