Do polar bears, which have become the poster child for the potential ravages of future global warming, need special protection from Uncle Sam now?
That's the question under consideration at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which is poised to recommend whether the icon of the Arctic should be officially designated as a threatened species – even though the bear's numbers currently are not in precipitous decline.
The judiciousness of protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), in anticipation that its frozen habitat will be thawing as a consequence of climate change, is a matter of hot debate.
Do polar bears need U.S. protection? | csmonitor.com