Obama WH says polar bears not endangered

[Trajan]

whoops. I applaud Obamas team for not buying another bilious bale of bull from WHO et al.


W.H.: Polar bears not 'endangered'

The Obama administration is sticking with a George W. Bush-era decision to deny polar bears endangered species status.

In a court filing Wednesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service defended the previous administration’s decision to give the polar bear the less-protective “threatened” species designation, a move that will frustrate environmentalists who hoped for stronger protections under the Endangered Species Act. …

At the time, the service determined the bears weren’t danger of extinction, so did not warrant the “endangered” status. The bears were listed as “threatened” because they face serious threats from projected decline in its sea ice habitat due to global warming would result in them likely being in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future.

W.H.: Polar bears not 'endangered' - Robin Bravender - POLITICO.com

hat tip Hot Air.

 

[Article 15]

^----- Thrilled to hear this news.

 

[Trajan]

I knew you would be. you owe me rep......

 

[waltky]

Climate change could affect habitat range for many plants and animals...

'Dramatic decline' warning for plants and animals
12 May 2013 - More than half of common plant species and a third of animals could see a serious decline in their habitat range because of climate change.

New research suggests that biodiversity around the globe will be significantly impacted if temperatures rise more than 2C. But the scientists say that the losses can be reduced if rapid action is taken to curb greenhouse gases. The paper is published in the journal, Nature Climate Change. An international team of researchers looked at the impacts of rising temperatures on nearly 50,000 common species of plants and animals. They looked at both temperature and rainfall records for the habitats that these species now live in and mapped the areas that would remain suitable for them under a number of different climate change scenarios. The scientists projected that if no significant efforts were made to limit greenhouse gas emissions, 2100 global temperatures would be 4C above pre-industrial levels. In this model, some 34% of animal species and 57% of plants would lose more than half of their current habitat ranges.

The study looked at the impacts of rising temperatures on nearly 50,000 common species

According to Dr Rachel Warren from the University of East Anglia, this would have major impacts for everyone on the planet. "Our research predicts that climate change will greatly reduce the diversity of even very common species found in most parts of the world. This loss of global-scale biodiversity would significantly impoverish the biosphere and the ecosystem services it provides," she said. "There will also be a knock-on effect for humans because these species are important for things like water and air purification, flood control, nutrient cycling, and eco-tourism." The projected impacts on species will be felt more heavily in some parts of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, the Amazon region and Australia.

In some regions, climate change could increase the area burned by wildfires

However the researchers say that if global emissions of greenhouse gases are cut rapidly then the impact on biodiversity could be significantly curbed. If global emissions reach their peak in 2016 and temperature rises are held to 2C, then losses could be cut by 60%. "The good news is that our research provides new evidence of how swift action to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gases can prevent the biodiversity loss by reducing the amount of global warming to 2C rather than 4 degrees, said Dr Warren. "This would also buy time – up to four decades - for plants and animals to adapt to the remaining 2 degrees of climate change."

BBC News - 'Dramatic decline' warning for plants and animals

 

[Katzndogz]

Good thing it isn't warming.

 

[skookerasbil]

Hey.....they know that climate legislation is going to crash and burn. This is simply a salvo to give Senate Dems on the bubble some wiggle room heading to 2014.

Of course, the committed warmist nutters will ignore the story......to them, there are like 4 polar bears left in Canada!!!

Id love to see if I could take one of those suckers down with my .44 magnum Rossi lever action......one shot of hollow point. I thhink if it takes more than 2, I'm in deep.

 

[westwall]

Hey.....they know that climate legislation is going to crash and burn. This is simply a salvo to give Senate Dems on the bubble some wiggle room heading to 2014.

Of course, the committed warmist nutters will ignore the story......to them, there are like 4 polar bears left in Canada!!!

Id love to see if I could take one of those suckers down with my .44 magnum Rossi lever action......one shot of hollow point. I thhink if it takes more than 2, I'm in deep.

Just make sure to file down the front sight so that after you've pissed him off, it doesn't hurt so bad when he shoves that barrel up your keester!

 

[skookerasbil]

Hey.....they know that climate legislation is going to crash and burn. This is simply a salvo to give Senate Dems on the bubble some wiggle room heading to 2014.

Of course, the committed warmist nutters will ignore the story......to them, there are like 4 polar bears left in Canada!!!

Id love to see if I could take one of those suckers down with my .44 magnum Rossi lever action......one shot of hollow point. I thhink if it takes more than 2, I'm in deep.

Just make sure to file down the front sight so that after you've pissed him off, it doesn't hurt so bad when he shoves that barrel up your keester!

Nah.....no need. Thats what I have my Circuit Judge for........410 buckshot rounds are devastating, particularly when you can deliver 5 rounds in 3 seconds.

 

[waltky]

Granny once whupped a grizzle bear dat tried to get into her 'special' brownies...

Yellowstone Grizzly Bears to Lose Endangered Species Protection
June 22, 2017 — Grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park will be stripped of Endangered Species Act safeguards this summer, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced on Thursday in a move conservation groups vowed to challenge in court.

Dropping federal protection of Yellowstone's grizzlies, formally proposed in March 2016 under the Obama administration, was based on the agency's findings that the bears' numbers have rebounded sufficiently in recent decades. The estimated tally of grizzlies in the greater Yellowstone region, encompassing parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, has grown to 700 or more today, up from as few as 136 bears in 1975 when they were formally listed as a threatened species through the Lower 48 states. At that time, the grizzly had been hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction. Its current population well exceeds the government's minimum recovery goal of 500 animals in the region.

Lifting the bears' protected status will open them to trophy hunting outside the boundaries of Yellowstone park as grizzly oversight is turned over to state wildlife managers in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, as well as to native American tribes in the region. Hunters and ranchers, who make up a powerful political constituency in Western states, have strongly advocated removing grizzlies from the threatened species list, arguing the bears' growing numbers pose a threat to humans, livestock and big-game animals such as elk.

A grizzly bear walks in a meadow in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming​

Environmentalists have raised concerns that while grizzlies have made a comeback, their recovery could falter without federal safeguards. They point to the fact that a key food source for the bears, whitebark pine nuts, may be on the decline due to climate change. "The grizzly fight is on. We'll stop any attempt to delist Yellowstone's grizzlies," the Oregon-based Western Environmental Law Center said in a Twitter post. "We anticipate going to court to challenge this premature, deeply concerning decision," Bethany Cotton, wildlife program director for the conservation group WildEarth Guardians, said Thursday.

Native American tribes, which revere the grizzly, also have voiced skepticism about ending its threatened classification. Zinke said the final delisting rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be published "in coming days" and go into effect 30 days later. As proposed last March, the rule will not affect four other smaller federally protected grizzly populations in parts of Montana, Idaho and Washington state. A much larger population in Alaska remains unlisted.

Yellowstone Grizzly Bears to Lose Endangered Species Protection