Environmentalists want polar bears off endangered species list

Yesterday the United States placed polar bears on the endangered species list, but this move has done more to outrage environmentalists than alleviate the worries of the bears’ advocates.

Despite the fact that the US statistics show the bear population has doubled since the 1960s, they will be endangered at the current rate of death caused by global warming by the year 2050.

According to a law passed by the past Bush administration, animals on the endangered species list are protected from activities that may harm them directly, such as destruction of habitat or hunting, but are not protected from global warming.

Greenpeace reacted by stating that global warming is the largest danger that faces the polar bear and that the ESA (Endangered Species Act) does not address the main area of concern.

The environmental group went on to claim that the inclusion on the ESA list is a way for the government to continue supporting oil companies while attempting to display concern for the polar bear to an uneducated population.

Ken Salazar, the United States Interior Secretary, replied to the concerns by stating that the ESA is not the proper way to address carbon emissions, but that emissions need to be looked at in a separate light that will curb climate change to benefit the earth in a more comprehensive scope.

The National Resources Defence Council also responded negatively to the global warming exclusion stating that the ESA is only one step towards saving the polar bear, and that to further abuse the loophole in the ESA with regards to global warming would undermine its importance.