Farewell to the Polar Bears

They are iconic, majestic and awe-inspiring. And they are slipping away.

According to a press release issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Monday, "Eight of the 13 Canadian polar bear sub-populations are either depleted or showing significant signs of stress, and future reduction of sea-ice in the Arctic could result in a loss of two-thirds of the world's polar bears within 50 years."

In the release, Dr. Peter Ewins, the Director of Species Conservation at WWF Canada said, "The facts are very clear, both from scientific research and from local knowledge, that climate change is occurring rapidly in the Arctic and is causing major problems for wildlife, and for northern peoples."

In May 2008, Canadian Environment Minister John Baird said, "The bottom line is a declining polar bear population is not an option for Canada."

At that time, the polar bear was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the United States.

GET INVOLVED

• Sign the Center for Biological Diversity petition urging President-elect Barack Obama to defend polar bear habitat by fully enforcing existing environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act and National Environmental Policy Act to curb greenhouse gas emissions

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photo: Petrusbarbygere, US Fish & Wildlife