Good news, Mr. Gore. You no longer have to worry about polar bears arduously attempt to settle on a piece of breaking ice as portrayed in your documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. (The animated version Gore used in his movie can be seen at the 4-minute mark, to the tune of some strange Latin music, here.)
In any event, according to data compiled by Illinois’s Arctic Climate Research Center,
Thanks to a rapid rebound in recent months, global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago. Ice levels had been tracking lower throughout much of 2008, but rapidly recovered in the last quarter. In fact, the rate of increase from September onward is the fastest rate of change on record, either upwards or downwards.”
Is there any good reason for the polar bear to be listed under the Endangered Species Act? Senior Policy Analyst Ben Lieberman writes,
Its global numbers have increased substantially, from an estimated 8,000–10,000 in 1965–1970 to 20,000–25,000 today. Clearly, any warming that has occurred has not had an adverse impact on polar bear numbers. This is true of the polar bear populations in Alaska, Canada, Russia, and other nations.
Unfortunately, the requirements for listing have never been particularly rigorous. In the case of polar bears, it may only require speculation that continued global warming will reduce the amount of summer ice in the Arctic that the bears rely upon.”
It appears that the polar bears are in good shape. Maybe Gore should shift his full attention to whales.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3455GI_uGs4[/youtube]
