| Groups File Suit to Protect Polar Bears | 06 February 06 |
 A lawsuit filed under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) December 2005 may force the US government to consider polar bears as a threatened species.The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Greenpeace contends that rising global temperatures are causing the unprecedented melting of Arctic sea ice. Polar Bears depend on sea ice for hunting, mating and travel. The suit asks the US Interior Department to bestow the broad federal protection of the Endangered Species Act upon polar bears by designating them as "threatened." If the lawsuit is successful, polar bears could become the first mammal to be officially declared at risk due to global warming. Listing under the US Endangered Species Act would provide broad protection to polar bears, including a requirement that US federal agencies ensure that any action carried out, authorized, or funded by the United States government will not "jeopardize the continued existence" of polar bears, or adversely modify their critical habitat. View the December 15, 2005 Greenpeace USA, Center for Biological Diversity & NRDC press release View the legal text of the complaint filed by the three conservation groups View Greenpeace US information on Polar Bears Visit the NRDC BioGems site on Polar Bears Visit the Center for Biological Diversity site on Polar Bears View the December 19, 2005 Reuters article on Planet Ark Sources: Greenpeace USA, Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Reuters/Planet Ark |
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