Polar bear sightings stir climate debate

Federal wildlife monitors spotted nine polar bears in one day swimming in the open ocean off Alaska's northwest coast -- prompting environmental groups to say the sightings are a strong signal that diminished sea ice brought on by global warming has put U.S. bears at risk of drowning or dying from fatigue.

The Associated Press reports:

Summer sea ice last year shrunk to a record low, about 1.65 million square miles in September, nearly 40% less than the long-term average between 1979 and 2000 and most climate modelers predict a continued downward spiral, possibly with an Arctic Ocean that's ice free during summer months by 2030 or sooner.

Conservation groups fear that one consequence of less ice will be more energy-sapping, long-distance swims by polar bears trying to reach feeding, mating or denning areas.

The nine bears were spotted on a flight by a marine contractor, Science Applications International Corp., hired for the Minerals Management Service in advance of future offshore oil development.

The MMS in February leased 2.76 million acres within an offshore area slightly smaller than Pennsylvania.

To catch up on polar bear news around the world and their role in the ongoing controversy over the Endangered Species Act, check out L.A. Unleashed's archives.

--Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo on top; bottom: World Wildlife Fund;Jonathan Hayward/Associated Press

Comments

[Brien Comerford]

I hope the U.S Government will create a sanctuary for polar bears. People don't want them to slowly die to prove that global warming exists. It does !

[roger]

Animals are a lot more adaptable than people think. Polar bears are very smart and will adapt to the weather changes. The reasons wild animals are becoming less in numbers, facing possible extinction, is loss of habitat, not weather change. Not only that, the biggest contributor to global warming is airline transportation because it puts the pollutants right up there, not the ground stuff that gets all the publicity, but no one will do anything about it, because everyone likes zooming around in airplanes. Even the phony greenies.

[Ryan]

Wow. Polar Bears swim. Therefore Climate Change exists. Just wow.

[abby0802]

How sad our present administration refused to accept global warming and is doing its best to gut the EPA. Our challenge will be to provide a safe environment for all of the earth's inhabitants.
Please contact your national and state representatives and senators and ask them to work to improve our environment and accept responsibility to protect our planet.

[Paul]

"The reasons wild animals are becoming less in numbers, facing possible extinction, is loss of habitat, not weather change. "

Has anyone said any different?

It's interesting that rather than react to the retreat of the sea ice which is WHAT THE ARTICLE WAS ABOUT... you have to distract, misrepresent and bring up side issues.

[GS]

For Comerford: Assuming we grant that these bears are going to die, slowly or otherwise, which I don't, and further assuming that we grant that it is because of "global warming", which I don't, you say people don't want to see them slowly die to prove global warming exists... it does! Well, I'm here to tell you that if the choice is between dead bears, and the utter destruction of the western world's economies implementing the nonsense that would appease environmentalist hypocrites like Al Gore, I'm going with the dead bears, thanks. Bears... or humans? What kind of self-loathing human picks bears? If you'd like to really do something worthwhile to reduce carbon emissions, please, kindly stop breathing.

[Chad Magdalik]

And were still just taking photo's....and we do nothing..... how about save them.....

[Kenna]

Saying you would rather see the Polar Bears die than the humans is unfortunately an all too familiar statement onboards like this. Whether it be some sort of bird or fish,plant or mammal, there are always those who take this'us or them' stance- if you could call it that. What it reallydisplays is a terrible ignorance, not to be confused with stupidity.
To suggest that in a bare 100 years of appreciable technology that we have a 'handle' on the intricacies andcomplexities of the biosphere and the greater global ecosystem is certainly preposterous. What we DO know is that it functions synergistically.
The absence of species are as nails in the coffin of
humanity. Evolution is not causing this- devolution is.
Man's unfortunate fall from symbiosis with it's
environment to sociapathic, fatally myopic,
intellectually contaminated, and spiritually bankrupt
'consumer'.
We do not need to count the BEARS
for goodness sake. We need to start considering
our OWN head count and why it is so high that the
planet itself can no longer sustain it. Waving a
2000 year old book in each others face will not solve
this very real and disturbing mathematical equation.
Transforming the way we see ourselves, our
counter productive societal structures and systems,
and allowing education and science to grow unfettered
by 19th century religious superstition and paranoid
nationalism will.
The Bears may be swimming in
an ice free ocean in years to come, but they represent the bare tip of our human iceberg. It is called
unconsciousness and you cannot solve it from the outside in...

[steve t]

Throw Bush and Chaney out there! maybe then, they'll beliebe in Global Warming!! What a dam shame for those bears! something has to be done! Why can't man made platforms that float, be put out there for these bears. The us military have these structures already for military purposes!!

[Dave]

You nubs if you knew there was the medieval warm period even hotter than it is now and yet the polar bears SURVIVED? HERESY!

It's true tho. If they can survive weather hot enough to grow grapes in england then YES they are not "drowning" jeezus give them some credit

[Chuck]

Throw Bush and Chaney out there! maybe then, they'll beliebe in Global Warming!! What a dam shame for those bears! something has to be done! Why can't man made platforms that float, be put out there for these bears. The us military have these structures already for military purposes!!

Posted by: steve t | August 23, 2008 at 01:00 AM

__________________________

Wow

[Doubter]

Humans are an insignificant speck in the history of the planet. The polar bears were here before us and they'll be here after we're gone.

Climate change has little or nothing to do with humans. The same nuts back in the 1970's claimed that we'd be in an ice age by now. Since they were proved stupid and incorrect, they have changed their mantra to the opposite. Unfortunately, young impressionable minds will believe anything a celebrity tells them, even if that celebrity has a fleet of cars and a private jet.

[Cryos]

Wow. Polar Bears swim. Therefore Climate Change exists. Just wow.

Posted by: Ryan | August 22, 2008 at 01:16 PM

Lol exactly. It's funny how climate change has become a religion. It's amazing how simple minded notions like you pointed out are supposed to be justification for tens of trillions of dollars in spending.

Make legitimate scientific questions to what are very dubious scientific models and feedback mechanisms and you are called a "flat earther, denier, big oil supporter" and all sorts of other non-scientific notions like "the debate is over."

In my opinion the fact is climate change is being used as a vehicle to transfer wealth from the US to other countries under the guise of "saving the world." Extreme environmentalism has become a basic platform of the democratic party which is scary. Liberals are using PC to try to justify any kind of nutty environmentalism and sell it as sensible.

Whats really funny is the same liberals that complain about China and India taking american jobs, wealth etc are more than willing to give China and India trillions of dollars for climate change.

Basing policy on climate change religion is no better than basing policy on any other religion.

[David M]

This is just way too funny. I keep hearing all of these mundane comments about Global Warming. Like they should mean something to me, that should open my eyes to the bigger picture. Imagine that! I live in an area known as Crown City. That "crown" is surrounded by 7 valleys, making the area also known as "the 7 Valleys".
These valleys were not created by man, but rather by nature. At one time, the whole area was covered by ice, then by water, then by natural beauty, once it dried out and warmed up some. Talk about gowing through a stratification period...lol
For those who think I live in some place ancient and foriegn, I say time to wake up. I live in upstate NY, and this is not the only area that was developed in this same way. Global Warming has been going on forever, and will always continue that course.
Polar bears have room to live, they are just an adventurous creature that are naturally born swimmers, and have a tremendous curiosity. Much like the Sea Otters/Lions, and most others. They all can float for crying out loud, just like we can if we need too.