Washington Times thinks we have plenty of polar bears

May 15, 2006 by admin | No comments


A dunderheaded article from the Washington Times.

Polar bears on thin ice? - Commentary - The Washington Times, America’s Newspaper

According to the WWF there are some 22,000 polar bears in about 20 distinct populations worldwide. Only two bear populations — accounting for about 16.4 percent of the total — are decreasing, and they are in areas where air temperatures have actually fallen, such as the Baffin Bay region. By contrast, another two populations — about 13.6 percent of the total number — are growing and they live in areas were air temperatures have risen, near the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea.

As for the rest, 10 populations — comprising about 45.4 percent of the total — are stable, and the status of the remaining six is unknown. Conclusion: based on the available evidence there is little reason to believe the current warming trend will lead to extinction of polar bears.

These bears have survived for thousands of years, during both colder and warmer periods, and their populations are by and large in good shape. Polar bears may face many threats, but global warming is not primary among them. Global warming alarmists are like the wizard of Oz, asking the public fear the spectacle, but not to pull back the curtain and unmask them for the charlatans they are.

Let’s get real: if there were only 22,000 human beings left in the world, we would rightly consider ourselves to be on thin ice. Polar bears, and all other charismatic megafauna, are going to be on very thin ice as long as they are sharing a planet with 7 billion omnivorous primates. If we want them to be around a hundred years from now, we’ve going to have to make a conscious effort to keep them around.

Related posts:

Tags:

You must be logged in to post a comment.