US loophole puts polar bears at risk

Environmental groups are claiming that a US decision to list polar bears as an endangered species would still leave them unprotected against their biggest threat; global warming caused by man-made pollution. A May 14 decision announced by the US interior secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, ended a court battle over whether the animals should be protected from melting sea ice caused by climate change. Greenpeace claim the move came with a big catch that undercut the ruling. A threatened listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is supposed to provide broad protection to polar bears. Greenpeace, however, noted an exemption (technically known as a 4d exemption) for global warming pollution contained in the ruling. "Global warming is the biggest threat facing polar bears and this exemption eliminates any real protection the listing could have provided," the group said. "It specifically says federal agencies don't need to consider the impact of global warming pollution on the polar bear. "This might look like a listing to protect the polar bear but it's really just a way for the administration to protect the interests of the oil and gas industry, as well as get away without taking action on global warming." Greenpeace accused the Bush administration of gutting any protections the ESA would have given the polar bear with the exemption. The sea ice used by polar bears has receded significantly in recent years. While the polar bear population has doubled since the 1960s, US government computer models predict they will be endangered by 2050. The environmental movement views the threatened status of the bears as an opening to curb carbon emissions by oil companies, including BP and ExxonMobil, that are snapping up drilling licenses in the offshore waters near the Arctic. However, Kempthorne insisted that scientists working under him believe "the loss of sea ice, not oil and gas development" has put the bears in jeopardy. A decision to protect the species was first due in January and the delay led to a furious row over the politicization of science by Bush's government. Polar bears were first considered for protected status a year ago. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) also accused the administration of sleight of hand. "The polar bear is already on thin ice," the group said. "Protecting the polar bear under the endangered species act is a major step forward, but the Bush administration has proposed using loopholes in the law to allow the greatest threat to the polar bear–global warming pollution–to continue unabated. "If the key threats are not addressed soon, zoos will be the only place our grandchildren will be able to see a polar bear." In remarks likely to exacerbate the concerns of campaigners, Kempthorne repeatedly called US endangered species law "inflexible." He would apply separate rules for marine mammal protection to the polar bear that would permit the US "to continue to develop our natural resources in the Arctic in an environmentally sound way." Mike Townley of Greenpeace International said: "At least there is the recognition of the causal effect of global warming on polar bears. "The Bush administration has identified the problem but what it has failed to do is to follow through."