I present an op-ed I wrote a few months ago about global warming.
save the polar bear: save the world
The polar bear has evolved from simply lovable, to pure environmental-political clout. While some conservatives cry foul, claiming that the polar bear has an unfair a grip on our heart (after all, why aren’t we up in arms about the Oahu Tree Snail), the fact remains: of the 1,985 species on the endangered and threatened species list, the Polar Bear is the first to be added due to global warming. The polar bear has rightfully taken its place as the poster child for not just the Endangered Species Act, but also for those calling to limit drilling for oil, restrict carbon emissions, and demanding alternative sources of energy.
The evidence is clear as the Arctic is blue… or, rather, used to be. Last summer, the Arctic sea ice receded to record levels previously predicted for 2050. It’s hard for even the naysayers to deny the effect of our ways on the environment. The US Geological Survey declared that unless we change our ways and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, two-thirds of the polar bear’s home will be soon be gone. Despite our vision of bears frolicking in snow (perhaps with a Coke and the holiday spirit) polar bears actually spend the majority of their time on ice. On land, the bears are slow and clumsy, losing more than 2 pounds a day. With less time to spend on the ice, polar bears are being forced into a fast that is stretching to dire consequences. Bears are becoming thinner, effecting reproductive rates and decreasing chances of survival for cubs. Cases of bear cannibalism have been reported. As the ice melts, polar cubs are freezing to death in frigid water.
Experts agree; the polar bear is doomed. Their home is warming too fast for them to adapt or find other food sources. Human behavior is the direct cause for this environmental catastrophe. In simpler terms: we broke it, so we better fix it. The place to start is with the Endangered Species Act and a break with the past administration.
Less than one month into office, President Obama is already a welcome change from the policies of Bush. Obama took the stage swinging, freezing many regulations created in the last few months Bush had to destroy our future. This is a stay of execution as far as many environmentalists are concerned. The regulations Bush haphazardly passed range from allowing oil companies to expand without federal pollution permits, to opening protected areas in Oregon to logging. Beyond revising these statues permanent changes need to be made to the Endangered Species Act.
As scientists warnings of global warming have increased, the Bush White House’s concern moved the opposite direction. Only protecting a total of 60 species over eight years, an abysmal comparison to Clinton’s 65 per year, Bush has created a legacy of anti-environmentalism. Recent policies have catered more to the oil companies then to animals that depend on the eco-system of the north, such as the Polar Bear. It is now up to not only Obama, but also for us all, to take action against global warming and the destruction of our home.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) came to fruition in 1973 to protect not just threatened species, but also “the ecosystems upon which they depend”. Yet, Bush took the power out of the act by removing scientists from the picture. Previous to the change, federal agencies were required to work with scientists to establish what effects projects would have on a species. Now agencies merely need a wink and a nod from within their own organization to get the go ahead for any projects. Decisions must be driven by science and an appropriate balance between development, protecting endangered species and safeguarding our ecosystem. While conservatives might argue that their actions were an attempt to remove red tape, in truth, they simply negated the effect of the ESA.
It took years of lobbying to place the polar bear on the threatened species list, but the Endangered Species Act is currently useless. Without taking the extra step to establish regulations on polluting oil and gas companies, there is little done to actually protect the polar bear. We canot continue to send sinking ships devoid of lifeboats on missions to rescue the planet. The government must make a complete 180 turn from the past Administration. Scientific scrutiny must be reinstated to the review of any and all programs and plans that might impact the Earth. Let us call upon the new administration to guarantee that our children will learn not only how important it is to protect the polar bears, but also how our actions effect the climate of our home. We must rally. It is our duty not as environmentalists, but as citizens of the earth.
