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— Saving Da Vinci's Last Supper from air pollution — Having survived long centuries, political upheaval, and even bombings during World War II, Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece Last Supper now faces the risk of damage from air pollution…
— After 25 years, sustainability is a growing science that's here to stay — Sustainability has not only become a science in the past 25 years, but it is one that continues to be fast-growing with widespread international collaboration, broad disciplinary composition…
— Markets drive conservation in Central Africa — Certification has shown that commercial forestry can co-exist with conservation objectives in the Congo Basin, according to conclusions reached at an international seminar 'Forest management…
— Great Plains river basins threatened by pumping of aquifers — Suitable habitat for native fishes in many Great Plains streams has been significantly reduced by the pumping of groundwater from the High Plains aquifer - and scientists analysing…
— Rivers may aid climate control in cities — Speaking at the URSULA (Urban River Corridors and Sustainable Living Agendas) Conference, in Sheffield, Dr Abigail Hathway, of the University of Sheffield, will demonstrate how rivers…
— Vultures dying at alarming rate — Vultures in South Asia were on the brink of extinction until Lindsay Oaks and Richard Watson, from The Peregrine Fund in the US, undertook observational and forensic studies to find…
— Predicting future threats for global amphibian biodiversity — Amphibian populations are declining worldwide, and their declines far exceed those of other animal groups: more than 30% of all species are listed as threatened according to the Red…
— Study shows deforestation causes cooling — Deforestation, considered by scientists to contribute significantly to global warming, has been shown by a Yale-led team to actually cool the local climate in northern latitudes, according…
NWF urges protection for polar bears
At a hearing on Capitol Hill, the National Wildlife Federation urged immediate action to protect America's polar bears from the impacts of climate change by listing polar bears under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Facing a court-imposed deadline, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) last year proposed to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the ESA. FWS was required by the ESA to issue a final listing decision twelve months thereafter. FWS missed this deadline nearly three months ago despite the imminent dangers to polar bears, as demonstrated by unprecedented melting of Arctic ice in 2007.
The delay in the listing decision has raised suspicions that the Bush Administration was seeking to avoid scrutiny of oil and gas leases in polar bear habitat under the Endangered Species Act when it proceeded to sell oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea on 6 February 2008. The Chukchi Sea off of Alaska's northern coast and historically frozen much of the year, is used by polar bears.
'The Endangered Species Act clearly states that listing decisions must be made based on the best available scientific data, not on the political or economic consequences of the listing,' said Dr Doug Inkley, a senior scientist at the National Wildlife Federation who testified before today's Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing. 'The science clearly shows the polar bear's future is on thin ice. The legal protections provided under the Endangered Species Act would be a first step towards minimising the impacts of global warming and other threats on the polar bear.'
'Whether it's Alaska's polar bears, Minnesota's moose or the Pacific Northwest's salmon, America's iconic species are seeing their habitats changed by global warming,' said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. 'Congress needs to enact legislation now that cuts our national greenhouse gas emissions by two percent annually while also providing dedicating funding to protect and restore America's natural resources in the face of a rapidly changing climate.'
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