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The Bush administration has delayed a decision on whether or not to put polar bears on the Endangered Species List, while at the same time has decided to open the Chukchi Sea of Alaska for oil and gas activities -- a key habitat for polar bears.
If the polar bears were to be put on the endangered species list, the Bush administration would probably be forced to abandon its quest to sell off the Chukchi Sea.
The results would be: one, polar bears will be able to thrive in that area and thus reduce the likelihood of their ultimate extinction; and two, a few corporate CEOs will sadly have to go without some ridiculous profits.
The U.S. Geological Survey has forecasted that two-thirds of the world's polar bears will "disappear" by 2050, and by 2080 only a small population will remain in the Arctic archipelago of Canada -- they will be completely gone from Greenland and Alaska.
More troubling is that this forecast was conducted assuming that global warming does not accelerate and continues at a moderate pace.
According to a study in polar biology, "Observations of mortality associated with extended open-water swimming by polar bears in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea," polar bear numbers have been declining due to the accelerated rate of ice melting as a result of global warming.
This means the bears may have to swim long distances to find food -- and many drown in the process.
The Bush administration's actions reveal its deep contempt for democracy and American citizens. According to a Gallup poll conducted in March 2007, 69 percent of Americans said they "personally worry" either a "great deal" or a "fair amount" about the "extinction of plant and animal species." Sixty-six percent said that the environmental movement has either "definitely" or "probably" done "more good than harm."
In a Harris Poll report, 53 percent of Americans said there was "too little" "government regulation and involvement in the area of environmental protection" and 81 percent proclaimed "the United States needs to set the lead when it comes to controlling greenhouse gases and pollution," rejecting the Bush administration policy of "voluntary" (meaning, not setting) targets for reducing CO2 emissions.
These poll results show that the reactionary statists in the White House care more about lining the pockets of rich contributors and friends rather than the citizens of the U.S. In addition, Bush and his cronies are condemning future generations to an environmental wasteland, devoid of the beauty of the life.
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I don't know your personal opinion so I won't attack you for things I don't know. But I think its fair to say that those who support saving polar bears, are strong supporters of the anti-global warming effort, and hate oil companies are probably of the liberal/democrat view point. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this, there is just one problem with the logic. We continue to lock off various oil reserves we have off florida, alaska, and california in favor of environmental issues (all of which are valid causes). However we have to realize that corporations are not going to (and can't) absorb these costs, they are going to jack up gas prices. Who does this hurt the most? The poor of course. So to be blunt and somewhat comical you must choose poor Americans or Polar Bears.
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The Bush administration's actions reveal its deep contempt for democracy and American citizens. hahahaha, riiiight. I bet you're all for democrats' socialistic policies though, correct? Idiot. You don't "love" democracy.
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Yep, it's just big business that loses a little, and they can afford it. Too bad for all those poor Alaskans who will continue to live in poverty. Too bad a few more old folks will die this winter because they couldn't afford to heat their homes. Don't fight wars for oil - but don't raise my gas prices! Don't drill for more at home - but keep my lights on! Don't burn coal, no nukes, no blood for oil. More wind turbines - but not where I have to look at them. More solar - but not on my roof, it's ugly. And here's some proof about big business affecting nature. After the trans-Alaska pipeline was built, the caribou herds increased in size about 10-fold. Why? The warmth from the oil flowing through the pipes resulted in fewer caribou dying of exposure each winter. What evil!
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I'm sure what the American people want is lower gasoline and heating oil cost, and a reduced dependence on foreign oil. We need to stop blocking our own natural resources from reaching the economy and the (contemptable?) American people that rely on them. Since the polar bear population and density have both GONE UP since the man-made global warming scare began, I wouldn't worry too much about their extinction. We are only human -- we don't cause warming, and we can't do anything to stop it. It is nature.
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