US ordered to act on polar bear
A judge has told the US government to decide within weeks whether to list polar bears as an endangered species.
The decision was hailed by conservation groups which have been hounding the government on the issue for years.
The federal judge rejected the Bush administration's pleas for a further delay, and ordered it to make and implement its decision by 15 May.
A listing could restrict oil and gas exploration in the US Arctic, and lead to curbs on greenhouse gas emissions.
"Today's decision is a huge victory for the polar bear," said Kassie Siegel, climate program director with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the conservation groups behind the legal challenge.
"By 15 May, the polar bear should receive the protections it deserves under the Endangered Species Act, which is the first step toward saving the polar bear and the entire Arctic ecosystem from global warming."
Polar bears' ice habitat is being compromised by climate change.
Read all here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7374107.stm
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I'm all for helping the bears to be around a little longer yet. But, big business could play a role in the decision making.
A judge has told the US government to decide within weeks whether to list polar bears as an endangered species.
The decision was hailed by conservation groups which have been hounding the government on the issue for years.
The federal judge rejected the Bush administration's pleas for a further delay, and ordered it to make and implement its decision by 15 May.
A listing could restrict oil and gas exploration in the US Arctic, and lead to curbs on greenhouse gas emissions.
"Today's decision is a huge victory for the polar bear," said Kassie Siegel, climate program director with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the conservation groups behind the legal challenge.
"By 15 May, the polar bear should receive the protections it deserves under the Endangered Species Act, which is the first step toward saving the polar bear and the entire Arctic ecosystem from global warming."
Read all here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7374107.stm
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I'm all for helping the bears to be around a little longer yet. But, big business could play a role in the decision making.
