Polar bears can be saved by emissions cuts, study says
Cutting global greenhouse emissions might yet save the polar bear and its Arctic habitat, according to scientists in the US.Well that's a shocker! I had no idea the polar bear was in danger of extinction due to man made global warming. I'm still not convinced. Maybe a cute picture of a struggling polar bear will help change my mind?
It has been suggested that emissions of greenhouse gases have already put the Arctic ice cap and the polar bear on an irreversible path towards extinction.
But a new study suggests rapid emission cuts could help preserve ice cover to save the iconic bear.
Ahh. Here it is:
Trust BBC News to pull on the heartstrings rather than report the truth.
The arctic ice sheet is not disappearing, it is changing shape and thickness, just like it always does as part of natures cycle. To my knowledge, polar bears are not an endangered species, at least not as a result of global warming melting the ice caps.
A US Geological Survey team led by Dr Steven Amstrup predicted back in 2007 that two-thirds of the world's 22,000 polar bears would disappear by half way through the next century.
Dr Amstrup and colleagues now say that such dire forecasts might be avoided if industrial societies act quickly to cut emissions.
Time will tell. Trouble is, we won't be able to do detailed computer models of polar bear numbers or ice cap formations when we are all living in mud huts. We will be more likely to eat the bloody bears and use their skins for warmth.
10 Comments:
He was going to attend the 2009 meeting of the Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG). The name sounds technical, doesn't it? Unfortunately, in one of his papers, he wrote this somewhat self-evident, yet detailed, balanced, and carefully worded description of the polar bears' situation:
“The concern that polar bears will decline if the climate continues to warm is valid. However, the assertion that polar bears will become extinct unless immediate measures are taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions is irrational because it is inconsistent with the long-term persistence of polar bears through previous periods of warming and cooling; and because the IPCC climate model predictions 50 and 100 years into the future do not suggest a future with insufficient sea ice to support polar bears as a viable species.”
What was the answer? He wasn't allowed to participate.
Is that how we make science these days? The human race is, by and large, fucked up.
Frankly surprised it wasn't the excreble Richard Richard
This boys got form I suppose.... slightly broader output...
Still dreadful though as FE describes the treatment meted out by the true believers and roundly ignored by the Beeboids...
Anon - Yes the Beeb. And they are the only ones who make us pay for their pap weather we watch it or not. Figures.
Well, apart from the fact that the artic ice sheet has grown by record amounts in the last few years, as opposed to shrinking.
As you say, that the Earth has been far warmer historically than it is now doesn't really help their arguement either ...
And, I guess that the polar bear population expanding rapidly as well is a bit of a problem too.
Other than that, top marks for accuracy ecoloons, WD!
Incidentally, it's a good job you're a fuel injected moose, mate. Grizzly bears eat moose and since a polar bear is a bigger, whiter grizzly I'm sure they're partial to a bit of moose at well. Good job you got your gun licence, because it sounds like Arctic conditions up there at the moment and the polar bears would feel right at home :-)
Post a Comment