Possibly missed in the fray among presidential endorsements, earthquakes and cyclones, the US government took an extraordinary step and placed the Polar Bear on the endangered species list.
Determining that the bear's natural habitat is disappearing and rapid declines in it's population are imminent, the government moved to put the bear on the list. Once a species goes on the list, the government is supposed to enact actions to protect the natural habitat of the creature and protect it from it's unnatural endangerment.
The case of the polar bear is unique and could be a landmark case for the legislation and for the government's stance on climate change. The science that documented the loss of natural habitat of the polar bear is essentially global warming science. Therefore to save the polar bear the US government is mandated to take action on global warming to protect the bear. There seem to be legal actions underway to prevent such actions, but the really paralyzing thing is no one really knows what to do to repair the arctic and reverse global warming. Slowing it down seems to be problematic enough. For a complete report on the state of the polar bear and legislation attempting to protect it head here.
