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"As one of the first species to face extinction as a direct result of global warming, the bear’s future is literally melting away along with the Arctic sea ice."
- Leonardo DiCaprio, NRDC Trustee
Polar bears are completely dependent on Arctic sea ice to survive. But a new study by the U. S. Geological Survey shows that optimal polar bear habitat is in decline and much of it will be gone by mid-century.
Polar bears are already suffering the effects of global warming. Birth rates are falling, fewer cubs are surviving and more bears are drowning. There have been documented reports of polar bears drowning and starving -- and of snowy dens collapsing on newborn cubs and their mothers from unseasonable rains.
The Bush Administration's proposal to list the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act is a crucial first step toward ensuring a future for these magnificent Arctic creatures. But the Administration's proposal does not designate "critical habitat" for protection, even though melting habitat from global warming is the main threat to the polar bear's survival.
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"The polar bear is the unfortunate poster child of global warming. But with your help we can save the polar bear -- and help all life on earth survive -- by protecting our planet from the most destructive impacts of global warming." - Leonardo DiCaprio
