Cannibalism, Deaths In Prime-Age Polar Bears Likely Driven By Ice Loss - AK Scientist

[hatrack]

Wildlife biologist Steven Amstrup will discuss the effects of global warming on polar bears Tuesday as part of the Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series at the Oregon Zoo.

EDIT

Over the past 25 years, the summer sea-ice melt period has lengthened and the summer sea-ice cover has declined by more than a half million square miles.

"Longer ice-free seasons have resulted in reduced survival of young and old polar bears and a chronic population decline over the past 20 years," Amstrup said. "Recent observations of nutritionally driven cannibalism and unexpected mortalities of prime-age polar bears in Alaska are consistent with a population under stress."

Oregon Zoo conservation scientist David Shepherdson said the Arctic may be the most environmentally sensitive area in the world right now, but that increasingly, the effects of global warming will be felt worldwide. He said wildlife will be among the first casualties.

EDIT/END

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006702200301

[kurth]

1. Millions of people living in countries that depend on rain-fed agriculture

will be next.

[Divernan]

2. Thanks for this link - forwarding it to NPR/station reporter in Juneau.

I'm hoping he will contact this scientist and do a feature on this topic, which the network might pick up for national coverage.

[depakid]

3. Yet many DU'rs will defend their SUV's until the end

or until their petrol costs too much for them to afford.

One things I've noticed in spades these past few weeks is that Republicans don't have any monopoly on ignorance and avarice. Many here could care less about wildlife issues or the underlying food chain.

I guess 25 years of divesting in education will do that to a country.

[NickB79]

4. SUV's, hell they're defended incandescent lightbulbs

Something so simple, cheap and easy to replace and make a huge difference in CO2 emmisions, yet there are at least two threads going right now that are bitching about it. Unbelievable.

[depakid]

5. Particularly since it will save them money

over time.

I don't care at all for office style florescent lighting, but I've noticed that these bulbs don't have the same effect. Also, I prefer the "cleaner" light to the dingy yellow of tungston bulbs.

If people really need say, full spectrum lights for treating SAD, I'm sure they'd still be available for therapeutic purposes. (Not that it will stop the nanny state memes).

Whenever you think that progressives are inherently more intelligent that right wingers, all you have to do is look at some of the threads like that and you'll be cured of that quaint notion.

[NNadir]

6. Oh, I don't think it's just about SUV's...

People like to think it's just about SUV's though.

Here in New Jersey, we have a wonderful renewable energy program that supposed to make a zillion solar roofs. Because of a rather bizarre tax law (that happily is about to be repealed) it turned out that buying a solar system in New Jersey would increase one's property taxes more than the system would "save" in energy bills after amortization.

In any case, the contribution of solar in New Jersey was described as being "like taking 3000 SUV's off the road." What a strange unit, the SUV! There's something more than a little sanctimonious about it, I think, since the few solar systems one sees are usually on houses of more than 3000 square feet. In any case, 3000 SUV's is not really that much energy. It's about the number of SUV's that pass a given point on the NJ Turnpike in a half an hour. But no matter...

There are people in New Jersey who claim to give a shit about polar bears who are calling for rejecting the license extension of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Station. Why? Because it's near a popular beach!!!!

I wonder if these same New Jerseyans have ever contemplated the future of that popular beach?