Hi all,
At 10.40 pm on BBC Radio 10 'oclock news tonight, there was a news item
about a female bear in Alaska who had been telemonitored swimming for 9
days non-stop, losing 20% of her body-weight. She started off swimming
with a cub, which was presumed to have died on the way. The interviewer
asked questions about whether the bear was expecting to find sea-ice
much sooner, and whether the sea-ice had retreated due to global
warming. The interviewee completely ducked the questions! It is as if
it is now taboo to say anything about global warming. I think this
could be a repercussion of the climategate affair. Scientists are just
too afraid to say anything that might be seized by climate deniers,
because they have been so vociferous. Isn't it important that we should
tell the world that sea ice is at a record low extent for this time of
year, has been steadily diminishing in volume since 2007 and is now in
such a fragile state that it could suddenly disappear during one summer
within the next few years? It is thus unlikely that polar bears will
survive in their Arctic habitat for much longer.
What do you think? Could this bear story be a wake-up call for action
to save the Arctic sea ice? I am hoping that you, Kieran, from the
Center for Biological Diversity will take this up. The Arctic is an
important part of the Earth's climate system and the Arctic ecosystem is
important for the marine food chain. The sea ice is part of the
planet's thermostatic control mechanism. It would be extremely
dangerous to lose it. Scientists expect massive amounts of methane to
be released from permafrost as the Arctic continues to warm, causing an
addition to global warming of many degrees.
Could a bear prove to be the 'canary in the mine' for unbearable climate
change?
John
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