thereisaway.us
(This animal will eat you)
There's actually a smart legal rationale behind focusing on the polar bear. If global warming threatens polar bear extinction then the Endangered Species Act becomes another avenue to get the government to take action to reduce global warming emissions.
After being ordered by a judge to stop dragging their feet, the Interior Department finally added the polar bear to the endangered species list today, but there are questions about how serious they are about protection.
Found 84 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes, and 15 seconds ago
maxedoutmama.blogspot.com
And let the lawsuits begin! Hall's three page letter ruling out greenhouse gas emissions as an issue requiring consultation is here . The Sierra Club is correct in pointing out that allowing this to stand would greatly weaken ESA, so I think it's back to court:
Found 85 days, 19 hours, 34 minutes, and 7 seconds ago
climateprogress.org
On the other hand, the disorder makes it physically, or at least psychologically, impossible for the patient to take any action based on that burst of logic. The quote in this post's headline is from the DOI press release's own subhead (see here and below). Someone will need to explain how producing fossil fuels -- whose combustion is destroying the polar bear's habitat -- is consistent with preserving an endangered species.
The disorder is also marked by unintentional bursts of irony, as in the use of the phrase "Rule will allow continuation of vital energy production.
Found 86 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 32 seconds ago
globalwarmingisreal.com
Rule will allow continuation of vital energy production in Alaska
And that's just in the headline. It goes on from there to state that the decision will
…be accompanied by administrative guidance and a rule" (uh oh) "that defines the scope of impact my decision will have" (as in none?) "in order to protect the polar bear while limiting unintended harm to the society and economy of the United States" (take that all you big angry bears…)
While acknowledging that the polar bear is listed as a direct result of climate change, Kempthorne wanted
…to make it clear that this listing will not stop global climate change… That is why I am taking administrative and regulatory action to make certain the ESA (endangered species act) isn't abused" (abused?
Found 85 days, 21 minutes, and 7 seconds ago
sierraclub.typepad.com
The U.S. Department of the Interior secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced on May 14 that the polar bear will be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, acknowledging that melting Arctic sea ice constitutes an ongoing threat to the bears' habitat. While the listing should provide the bears with some protection, it comes with baggage--namely the caveat that oil drilling will be permitted within polar bear habitats, under a proposed 4(d) rule. Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope sees the announcement as an empty gesture, explaining in a released statement that "allowing destructive energy development in polar bear habitat is akin to diagnosing someone with lung cancer and then handing them a lit cigarette.
Found 84 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes, and 15 seconds ago
wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced on May 14, 2008 that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat.
So what happens if sea ice grows? Let's see how well that "best available science" holds up. According to the full DOI press release , computer model scenarios figured heavily into the decision.
Found 85 days, 23 hours, 24 minutes, and 22 seconds ago
