<
https://www.sciencealert.com/how-much-will-new-fossil-fuel-projects-harm-polar-bears-we-can-now-calculate-it>
'Polar bears have long symbolized the dangers posed by climate change, as
rising temperatures melt away the Arctic sea ice they depend upon for survival.
But quantifying the impact of a single oil well or coal power plant on the
tundra predators had eluded scientists, until now.
A new report published in the journal
Science on Thursday shows it is
possible to calculate how much new greenhouse gas emissions will increase the
number of ice-free days in the bears' habitats, and how that in turn will
affect the percentage of cubs that reach adulthood.
By achieving this level of granularity, the paper's two authors hope to close a
loophole in US law.
Although the apex carnivores have had endangered species protections since
2008, a long-standing legal opinion prevents climate considerations from
affecting decisions on whether to grant permits to new fossil fuel projects.
"We have presented the information necessary to rescind the Bernhardt Memo,"
first co-author Steven Amstrup, a zoologist with Polar Bears International and
the University of Wyoming, told
AFP, referring to the legal caveat which was
named after an attorney in former president George W. Bush's administration.
The memo stated it was beyond the scope of existing science to distinguish the
impacts of a specific source of carbon emissions from the impacts of all
greenhouse gasses since the beginning of the industrial age.'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
