“The polar bear, whose summertime Arctic hunting grounds have been greatly reduced by a warming climate, will be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act,” says the New York Times in this article: Polar Bear is Made a Protected Species .

To me, what is most interesting about the listing of the Polar Bear as “protected” (which is a legal term that indicates certain laws fall into place) is that the Interior Secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, would clearly have preferred NOT to list the Polar Bear. While the listing acknowledges that the reduction in Arctic sea ice (caused by global warming, according to scientists) threatens the Polar Bear’s survival, long-term, the comments made by the Secretary make it clear he doesn’t think anything needs to be done about global warming–at the same time, the ruling doesn’t change the regulations on the oil and gas industry one bit.