| Beaufort Sea Drilling Adds Risk for Polar Bears | 23 May 08 |
 The ecologically sensitive Beaufort Sea /Mackenzie Valley Delta of Canada's Arctic will be opened to oil and gas drilling with bidding for five permits closing June 2, 2008. Canada has yet to issue a plan to protect polar bear populations who inhabit the area, from devastating effects of petroleum exploration and climate change. Climate change, melting sea ice, increased human activity, and over hunting in northern stretches of Canada place Canada's polar bear populations at risk of extinction. WWF-Canada is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper for an immediate and "aggressive plan" to protect polar bears and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met in Yellowknife, NWT in April 2008 to discuss the uncertainty of the polar bear's future, resulting in reassessment as being of "Special Concern". "Research is showing numbers of Beaufort Sea polar bears starving and walking all the way to Russia, or far inland, in search of food," said Peter Ewins of WWF-Canada. Further offshore development of fossil fuels is expected in the Arctic. A WWF report, Arctic Climate Impact Science - An update since ACIA identifies change occurring in all arctic systems due to global warming. Exploration and extraction of petroleum resources increase the risk to polar bears and limit already stressed habitat. View April 24, 2008 WWF article View report, Polar Bear and other Species at Risk by Independent Canadian Science Body (PDF) View WWF Oil Activity in the North webpage View April 20, 2008 AFP article View April 20, 2008 WWF Canada article View February 9, 2008 Canada Gazette Vol. 142, No. 6 Sources: WWF, COSEWIC, Canadian Gazette |
|
 Print version |
Top |
