Canada and the Polar Bear

Polar bear at sunset The polar bear has come to symbolize climate change in the north – much like the penguin in the south.

Last week I wrote a post at GlobalWarmingisReal about the U.S. government’s delay in deciding whether to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the endangered species act. The move was ostensibly to give more time to decide the issue (though a year had already elapsed since the start of the decision process, with many reports produced indicating the perilous situation for the polar bear). Of course, in politics and government, especially ours here in the states under George Bush, things aren’t always as they appear.

Early next month the US Minerals Management Service plans to auction off mineral rights along a section of Alaska’s northwest coast, prime polar bear habitat. Given the Bush administration’s track record, it is prudent then to question the true motive of delaying the decision of listing the polar bear as threatened.

But wait there’s more, and hear is where I’d love to hear from Canadians:

Canadian Inuit groups are against the US Department of Interior giving the polar bear threatened status, saying that environmentalists are simply using the issue as a means of attacking the Bush administration on its policy concerning climate change and using “simplistic” thinking that fails to take into account the cultural heritage of the Inuit.

Well, there are so many ways to attack the Bush administration on its incompetence, but what of the Inuit in the far reaches of the Canadian Arctic?

Apparently the Inuit depends heavily on American sport hunters trotting up north in search of polar bears to shoot, ready to spend up to $30,000 per animal.

Check out my latest post at GlobalWarmingisReal for the full story and my opinion which, in a nutshell, is that depending on American hunters coming up to shoot polar bears for economic (and hence cultural) survival is probably not wise, sustainable, or a means to maintain that culture into the future.

But what do I know? I’m an urban dweller from San Francisco for crying out loud. I’d love to hear the opinion of Canadian on this.

Please be gentle.