saving polar bears

Late last year, I wrote about ' global warming means no more polar bears'.

US Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced on 27 December 2006 that the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and initiate a comprehensive scientific review to assess the current status and future of the species.

According to the official media release
The Service will use the next 12 months to gather more information, undertake additional analyses, and assess the reliability of relevant scientific models before making a final decision whether to list the species.

12 months is a long time to wait if polar bears are dying.

The announcement is just a proposal. All Americans who are concerned should read the proposal and comment by the due date.

Time is running out.



*for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog, check out Shamus (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

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My human stayed home all day again. As much as I enjoy lying on his lap and napping together on the couch, I'm not like a dog which suffers from separation anxiety.

I need time alone in the house so I can hop up on the kitchen bench without being yelled at, and to do all the other secret feline activities that we do when no humans are around.

the baiji is extinct

The baiji was the Yangtze River (fresh water) dolphin and has just been declared extinct.

This is very sad news and a tragedy.



*for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog, check out Shamus (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

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Not much to report today.

global warming means no more polar bears

Human beings are great at adapting to the environment. They have survived ice ages, ice melts, natural disasters etc and seen another species of human die out (the Neanderthals). They also alter the environment for their own purpose, much to the detriment of many species of plants and animals.

Some governments aren't prepared to do their bit to mitigate global warming and climate change as the economic imperative takes a higher priority. In other words, industry and jobs must be protected at all cost.

Well, if the world heats up more and the summers become even hotter, more people will insist on artificial cooling which uses up even more energy, which in turn will produce more greenhouse gases, leading to further heating.

Polar bears are already in a lot of trouble. Their numbers are in decline. Ice floes are melting and they are forced to swim a greater distance between them, drowning in the process from exhaustion, hypothermia or large waves. Nobody seems to care.


These ice floes are disappearing, and along with them, polar bears

See
- 'Polar bears drown as ice shelf melts' (UK Sunday Times, 18 December 2005)
- 'Groups sue to protect polar bears' (CNN, 16 December 2005)

*As always, please check out Cooper and Camilla who always have interesting things to say.

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I spent most of the day alone on the couch (must be Monday again). However, I did manage to go outside for a few minutes while the washing was being hung out and chewed on some grass.

My human was late home tonight, but good for me, he brought back Nell and Declan with him for a quick visit. He must have gone to dinner with them. I wish I was invited too!

Anyway, I finally had raw corn fed chicken wing for dinner. But I didn't gobble it all up at once. When the weather warms up, I don't eat as much. Mind you, I have been drinking lots of water which worries my human very much.

My annual medical check up is on soon, and I think my human wants me to have tests for diabetes and kidney function.

I feel so old, but I'm not ready to leave this world and my human yet. He hasn't got over the loss of my brother Fatty. So if anything happens to me, he will be totally devastated.

Wish me luck for my medical. I should be going this week sometime.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is located in northeastern Alaska (North Slope Region) and covers about 19,049,236 acres (79,318 km²). It was established in 1960 by the Eisenhower administration as a wildlife reserve.


Sigh! Such beauty

The Arctic Refuge is home to 45 species of land and marine mammals, from the pygmy shrew to the bowhead whale. The 36 species of land mammals include bears (polar, grizzly, and black), wolves, wolverines, Dall sheep, moose, muskox, and free-roaming caribou. There are also 36 species of fish and more than 180 species of birds.


Polar Bear numbers having been decreasing

It is one of the most pristine places on Earth (Antarctica is another).

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (US Fish and Wildlife Service - Alaska)

On Thursday, 3 November 2005, the US Senate voted to sell oil leases within the Arctic Refuge within two years. President Bush claimed that this additional domestic oil supply would lower gasoline prices and energy bills and that technology would ensure little impact on the land or wildlife.


The 'no impact' drill rig

The United States now uses about 7.3 billion barrels of oil a year. The Arctic Refuge site may yield 10.5 billion barrels.

News item from CNN

Given that global warming is going to kill off most of the species in the Wildlife Refuge, heck, why not plunder it ahead of time, given the increasing price of petroleum?

What I don't understand is President Bush claiming that increased domestic production would lower prices. Mr Bush, the markets determine the prices. When was West Texas Crude ever significantly lower in price relative to Brent Crude or North Sea oil, etc?

*As always, please check out Cooper and Camilla who always have interesting things to say.

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I had a wonderful long fur brush last night. I had my cooked chicken last night for dinner (out of the choices).

Tonight I also had more cooked chicken, but it was corn-fed (from the leg/drumstick - my human is such a cheapskate!).

keisercat@wildmail.com