The Armchair Ecologist » Fair Trade http://planet-u.com/blog Empowering individual actions that create a better planet. Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:34:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Bearing the climate crisis http://planet-u.com/blog/2008/06/bearing-the-climate-crisis/ http://planet-u.com/blog/2008/06/bearing-the-climate-crisis/#comments Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:26:26 +0000 Greg Ugolini http://planet-u.com/blog/?p=14 It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to call the Polar Bear and “indicator species”. An Indicator Species is an animal or plant that acts as a kind of “canary in the coal mine”. They often reflect the health of an ecosystem based on factors including abnormal physiological changes, impacts of pollution, or even climate change. In this case, climate change is a big factor.

Polar Bears have evolved over the last 200,000 years to be masters of cold climate ice hunting. They have a layer of insulating fat that can be up to 4.5 inches thick, a multi-layered coat of transparent, pigment-free hollow fur, large footpads, etc. And, to top it off, they are big — that’s why they win the prize for the largest land predator.

Their hunting grounds are shrinking due to rapid ice melt. This influences range, birth rates, animal health, food supply, and the bear’s resilience through leaner times. One sub-population saw more than a 20% decline in their population since 1980. That’s the equivalent of 572,000 Chicago residents disappearing off the planet. That would cause some concern wouldn’t it? How would you respond if I told you that the number jumped to 1,887,000 over the next 40 years? The time to act is now. Not only for the Polar Bear, but with respect to positive change — period!

Countries with Polar Bear populations recognize the need for conservation, education, and environmental protection for the species. The US Government updated the status of the Polar Bear to “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (May 14, 2008).

Kudos to all involved in assisting the Polar Bear, the planet, and its species.

Are you interested in learning more about how you can help? Please visit PolarBearSOS.org for more information and education on the subject.

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