Polar Bear: Threatened or Not?

In recent decades, the global warming threat has captured the attention of the nation and the world. While the main focus began with concentrating on the effects this long-term natural crisis would have on the human population, select groups have worked to approach the topic in a manner that entails prevention in order to help other animal and plant species around the globe. One such organization is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has played a major role in the conservation of the polar bear species, one of the mammals most adversely affected by the recent climate changes. As more research has been conducted regarding the polar bears, scientific name Ursus Maritimus, the conclusions have been shocking. In 2008, the Department to the Interior listed the polar bear species as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 awarding it some protections mandated by the federal government (Wolfe). However, on January 5, 2011, Representative Donald Young proposed a bill in Congress in order to delist the polar bears as threatened, thus decreasing and even removing the conservation efforts that have been set in place over the past three years. The polar bear Species should remain listed under the Endangered Species Act because ice thickness has decreased 40 percent during the past 30 years thus reducing the polar bears’ critical environment, if current conditions continue the polar bear populations around the world may decrease by two thirds by mid century, and since the species has been protected under the Endangered Species Act the worldwide populations have experienced stabilization or growth in most circumstances.

First and foremost, the polar bear species should maintain its status as a threa...

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...uld result in a two-thirds decline in the world wide polar bear populations in the next 50 years, and since the species has been listed as threatened under the Act, it has experienced stabilization and in some cases increases proving the effectiveness of the efforts put in place. All of these reasons, in conjunction with a plethora of others support the decision to leave the species with a threatened title and arguments against this designation are only backed with mistaken values and thoughts. As we enter a new era of technology, the human population must realize that we create many unintended effects which resonate throughout the other species and environments around the world. As the dominant species on earth, humans must do their part to conserve the natural environment of the world so that important species and aspects of natural history are not eliminated.