Word: arctics
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...deliberation, another four months in overtime and multiple lawsuits from environmental groups, the Bush Administration today listed the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). But it may not matter much. At a press conference in Washington, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne acknowledged that Arctic sea ice - vital for the polar bears' survival - was clearly receding, and that scientific studies by the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) estimated some 30% decline in sea ice by mid-century. (A study by the USGS released last September projected a two-thirds decline in the world's polar bear population...
...echoing earlier arguments by the Bush Administration, Kempthorne repeatedly pointed out that even though the polar bear had become the first animal listed as threatened due to global warming, and despite a clear scientific consensus connecting the rise in man-made greenhouse gas emissions to rapid warming in the Arctic, in no way would the listing open the door to requiring reductions in U.S. emissions as a way to protect the bear. Kempthorne emphasized that the polar bear already received protection under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, and that its listing under the ESA would require no additional protection from...
...mankind's future and survival. While continuing our efforts to curb emissions, we should focus research and money on how to move agriculture north (Canada, Scandinavia, Siberia), fight tropical diseases as they spread to our higher latitudes, avoid and tax excessive air-conditioning, plan for shorter Arctic shipping - do everything to adapt to warmer temperatures and do it now! Nicolas Gessner, PARIS...
...Republican mainstream, including Bush, was still in full-blown denial mode. Pestered during the New Hampshire primary by a global warming activist who called himself Captain Climate and dressed in a red cape and superhero tights, McCain soon began holding hearings on climate science and traveling to the Arctic to see the damage for himself. "It was a period of real self-education, and John came away convinced," says Lieberman. McCain and Lieberman co-authored the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003, the first serious attempt at climate legislation, and pulled some nifty legislative tricks to force up-or-down votes...
Every summer, this settlement 46 miles (75 km) north of the Arctic Circle experiences the never-setting midnight sun. But any time of year Sisimiut holds plenty of small wonders. Scattered across rocky inlets, the town's wooden houses are painted in primary hues - a tradition that started as a practical measure to make the hospital and police station easy to identify. Up on the craggy hills, you can enjoy stunning views of the town and find ancient Inuit burial mounds overlooking the sea, marked by piles of rocks...