Where Should Polar Bears Go?

Abstract View post on EAP2 web blog

Polar bears in the Arctic area are in danger of extermination due to global warming. The Arctic area is the coldest spot in the world, so they have nowhere to migrate. The main cause of this problem is human activities, thus we cannot blame any other, and we have to solve it. Fortunately, there are still some solutions to obstruct progress of global warming. First, we have to know what is happening in the Arctic area. Second, we have to regulate using fossil fuel for less emission of CO2. Third, we have to educate our children to have right notion toward our surroundings.

“Global warming may drive a quarter of land animals and plants to the edge of extinction by 2050, a major international study has warned” (Bhattacharya, 2004, Para. 1). Polar bears whose habitats are the Arctic area, are endangered due to loss of their habitats. Therefore polar bear is about to be admitted as endangered animal species by the U.S. government (Weber, 2007). This massacre of polar bear has been done by human activities, it is undeniable.

Polar Bears are endangered due to global warming, and people caused it. Thus we are responsible for polar bear’s lives. The ignorance of our surroundings includes our basic behavior and wrong notions made and this situation come up. Therefore, we should figure out the solutions to save them.

First of all, we have to know what is happening in the Arctic area. Ice packs in the Arctic area are melting, so polar bear’s habitat is getting smaller and smaller. This situation causes destruction of polar bear’s habitat. Polar bear’s main prey is seal and fur seal; these species inhabit on ice packs, thus polar bears’ hunting area is diminishing. The Arctic area is not a good place for polar bears, but they have nowhere to go. “In the 1960s and 1970s, hunting was the major threat to the bears. At the time, polar bears were under such severe survival pressure from hunters that a landmark international accord was reached, despite the tensions and suspicions of the Cold War” (Polar Bears International, 2007, Para. 5) Random polar bear hunting also affected polar bears. It started when there were plenty of polar bears, but there are not that many polar bears anymore. Lately the polar bear countries have made a mutual agreement about polar bear conservation in Oslo (Polar Bear International, 2007). Because the countries made the agreement, we stepped closer to saving polar bears. Indeed, we need to bring on more mutual agreements to preserve polar bears and the Arctic environment.

Secondly, we have to regulate the using of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel is really helpful in many ways in our life; for example, heating places and running industry, but it is the main reason for global warming, and global warming affects polar bears. “NSIDC’s satellite data analysis shows that Arctic perennial sea ice, which remains all year-round, has shrunk by 14 percent between 2004 and 2005” (Greenpeace, 2006, para. 3). As the article says, it is a very serious problem. Melting down of ice in the Arctic area means polar bears lose their habitat. “Polar bears live on the annual Arctic sea ice that provides a platform from which they can hunt. But when the edge of the ice retreats to the north during summer, bears must follow the ice floes or become stranded on land where they must stay until the sea ice forms again in the fall” (World Wild Life, Para. 4). However, as global warming is accelerating, the melted ice cannot freeze up again. This situation delivers loss of polar bear. When fossil fuel is burned, it emits carbon dioxide. The emission of carbon dioxide by fossil fuel affects global warming seriously. In order to obstruct global warming, we need to invent alternative energy sources and use them.

Thirdly, we have to educate our children more about the environment. We didn’t know what is wrong and what is right, but we have learned it since scientists proved that our activities affect polar bears. “On December 15, 2005, the Center and our partners NRDC and Greenpeace sued the Bush administration for ignoring our petition. In response, on February 9, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a positive 90–day petition finding for polar bears, opened a 60-day comment period, and initiated a status review of the species. Finally, on December 27, 2006, the administration announced a proposed rule to list the polar bear as threatened” (Center for Biological Diversity, 2007, Para. 2). If they didn’t ignore their petition, hundreds of bears could be saved, thus having right notion is very important. Our children don’t know what is right and what is wrong yet, so we have to let them have desirable attitude toward our surroundings. In addition, education from school is not enough, so we have to teach them in the real life. For example, we can make them fall into the right habit. We can teach them how to recycle resources, how to save energy, and what alternative energy we can use.

Some people believe global warming is a natural cycle, as if when dinosaurs were exterminated, the ice age was started. However, it is not true, and it is not a natural cycle. Global warming is caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuel, logging forests, and overgrazing. It is undeniable. Everyone knows emission of CO2 is the biggest catalyst, and very large amount of CO2 is emitted by human activities. Therefore, global warming is caused by us, so we need to look back upon the past and take care of nature.

In conclusion, polar bears are endangered due to global warming, and the main reason for global warming is human activities for our convenience. In order to stop the advance of global warming, we have to know what’s going on in the Arctic area, reduce burning fossil fuel, and educate our children about our environment. We have to obstruct global warming for not only polar bears, but also ourselves.

References
Bhattacharya, S. (2004, January). Global Warming threatens millions of species. New Scientist. Retrieved October 25, 2007, From http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4545&print=true
Center for Biological Diversity (2007, October 31). Polar Bear Headed for Endangered Species Act Protection: May Become Extinct Due to Global Warming. Retrieved on December 2, 2007, from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/polarbear/index.html
NASA Findings On Global Warming : Polar Bears at Risk (2006, September 14). Greenpeace. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/nasa-findings-on-global-warmin
Polar Bears International (2007). Polar Bears and Conservation. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/
US Predicts Polar Bear Meltdown (2007, September 10). BBC News. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6986980.stm
Weber, B. (2007, October 28). How do you ‘fingerprint’ a polar bear? The Star. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://thestar.com/article/271313