Today, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) calling for the protection of the Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) under the US Endangered Species Act. The petition is the first step in a lengthy process to acquire protection of the species under US law. The timing of the petition submission is poignant and coincides with the day the Kyoto Protocol goes into effect in 174 countries around the world (the United States is not among them).

The 170-page petition includes extensive information about the Polar Bear's natural history, biology, and the threats the species faces. In addition to global warming, the petition examines the impacts of oil and gas exploration, hunting, and pollution on Polar Bear populations around the world.

"The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) faces likely global extinction in the wild by the end of this century as a result of global warming. The species' sea-ice habitat is literally melting away ... the endangerement of the polar bear and its likely extinction are all too foreseeable, as both polar bear and climate scientists agree that the species cannot survive the ongoing and projected loss of its sea-ice habitat in a warming Arctic ... by century's end average annual temperatures in the Arctic will likely rise upwards of 7°C (12.6°F) and summer sea-ice will decline by 50-100%. The polar bear cannot survive such changes and therefore meets the statutory criteria for protection as Threatened under the ESA." ~ CBD Petition.

By law, the US FWS is required to respond to the petition within the next 90 days. If the Center for Biological Diversity's petition presents enough scientific evidence to merit further action, the US FWS will then have one year to complete a detailed review of the status of the Polar Bear and publish its own proposal to add the species to the Endnagered Species List.

Find out more:

• Petition to List the Polar Bear as a Threatened Species (Center for Biological Diversity)
• Time to Protect Polar Bears from Warming? (MSNBC)

Photo © David E. Myers / Getty Images.