credit: Mark Wexler

While the narration makes reference to the melting ice that’s threatening everything from the Arctic’s polar bears to the Antarctic’s penguins, it shies away from detailing the cause of the warming trend – man-made carbon pollution.

The series producer has made clear that Frozen Planet’s omission of climate science wasn’t accidental:

Including the scientific theories “would have undermined the strength of an objective documentary, and would then have become utilized by people with political agendas,” Vanessa Berlowitz, the series producer, said in an interview.

She added, “I feel that we’re trying to educate mass audiences and get children involved, and we didn’t want people saying ‘Don’t watch this show because it has a slant on climate change.’ ” [...]

“Many organizations, and it sounds like Discovery is one of them, appear to be more afraid of being criticized by climate change ‘dismissives’ than they are willing to provide information about climate change to the large majority of Americans who want to know more about it,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.

Berlowitz gets politicization backwards. Giving viewers the straight climate facts isn’t political – it’s educating your audience about the world around them. It’s the hiding scientific reality in fear of blowback from climate deniers that politicizes the program.

Protest at Discovery Channel headquarters, May 2012

We are deeply disappointed by your decision not to explain the science, and human causes, of global warming in the “On Thin Ice” episode of the Frozen Planet series. As the world’s leader in environmental programming, your decision sends a dangerous message to media companies around the world — that it is better to censor yourself than risk criticism by global warming deniers. We call on you to immediately acknowledge this error and to conduct a review of all Discovery programming decisions to ensure no such self-censorship happens again.

Discovery took an important step in airing “On Thin Ice,” reversing its original decision not to show the series’ final installment that dealt more directly with global warming-related issues. But this petition sends a clear message that it’s not good enough to skirt the issue of climate change – viewers expect Discovery to connect the dots.

 Take Action

An incredible 815,000 Americans have already shown their support for protecting polar bears and other wildlife through the Environmental Protection Agency’s limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. Please take a moment to add your voice to the thousands of National Wildlife Federation members and supporters who are saying loud and clear that we know why climate change is happening – and we’re stepping up to help stop it.

Student delegates at the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action Civics & Conservation Summit in March with Governor Sean Parnell. (Photo courtesy of AYEA)

The theme for the Civics & Conservation Summit was “Local Food & Wild Salmon,” but its purpose went far beyond that.

During the training, delegates worked on talking to media; talking to elected officials; how to read a bill; and how to impact decisions leaders make about the environment. They also honed their public speaking skills through skits and group presentations.

The students had a chance to meet Governor Sean Parnell and honor AYEA’s Legislators of the Year (State Senators Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak), Hollis French (D-Anchorage) and Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage)), but the most important aspect of the summit was the time student delegates spent advocating for some issues vital to the future of the state’s natural resources.

See a few of the delegates in the video below talking about their reasons for loving Wild Alaskan salmon, or listen to this story by Juneau’s KTOO “Young Conservationists learn about legislative process.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some issues on AYEA’s docket, from AYEA Program Manager Megan McBride:

• Senate Bill 3 – An Act providing for state funding for school lunch and breakfast. Alaska is one of just a few states that don’t provide any state funding to match federal funds. For several years, AYEA teens have been advocating for more local Alaskan food to be served in schools. Two years ago, AYEA advocated for the Farm to School Bill that facilitates locally grown products to be served in Alaskan schools. Given the tight budget school food is on, however, it’s been hard to make progress since that bill has passed.
• Madeline Rafferty (Age 17, Fairbanks): “This bill is essential in providing healthier meals to students all across the state by incorporating locally grown and caught food in school lunches. Not only would this improve the quality of school lunches, but it would support the local businesses providing this food. It is well known that eating a healthy breakfast increases academic performance and doing so will raise test scores.”

• House Bill 100 – The bill outlaws growing or cultivating genetically engineered fish in the state. GE salmon has been a topic at the federal level after a company submitted a request for a permit to grow and sell GE salmon in the US. Alaska’s federal delegation – Senators Murkowski (R) and Begich (D) and Representative Young (R)- have all sponsored or signed on to legislation to ban GE salmon in the US. Alaska’s state legislators are on the same page, and AYEA teens are behind them!
• Hunter Doan, Youth Trainer (Age 15, Seward): “If one of these GMO fish were to escape in to the wild, it would be disastrous to the ecosystem. GMO fish are bred to grow faster and eat more than wild fish. Since they eat so much, they would eat all of the wild salmon’s food. If House Bill 100 passes, it will prevent big fish farming companies from coming in and taking the jobs of local commercial fisherman.”

• Senate Bill 152 – The bill mandates legislative approval for mining operation that could affect water in or flowing into or over the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. It is intended to slow down or stall the Pebble Mine project, and for good reason—Bristol Bay is Alaska’s richest commercial fishery and “one of America’s most spectacular places.” The region’s pure waters, healthy habitat and breathtaking wilderness setting generate millions of dollars for the local economy, attract trophy salmon and trout anglers from all over the world, and support the centuries-old subsistence lifestyle of Alaska Natives—all jeopardized by mining operations
• Bill Sponsor Sen. French: “[I]t’s an important conversation starter. It’s important for them to know that they have people in the building who are willing to advance ideas that may not always get there. But you have to have the dialog, you have to have the debate, and so I’m proud to be a part of that.”
• Read more: Yes on 152 Juneau Empire Letter to the Editor by Mariah Savoie (Age 15, Anchorage)

• Senate Bill 27 – The bill would phase out the use, sale and manufacture of products containing toxic flame retardant chemicals (PBDEs, which are used in furniture and household appliances and may actually make fires more deadly). Though Alaska has very little chemical manufacturing in-state, these chemicals concentrate in the arctic through a process of bioaccumulation and Alaska ends up with disproportionately high amounts.
• Bill sponsor Sen. Wielechowski: “They knew what they were talking about. They had done a lot of research […] They asked me some very pointed questions about it, which showed they really had been studying it.”
• Rowan Heinemann (Age 17, Fairbanks) summed it up nicely: “We know the risks that PBDEs present, and now we have a chance to protect ourselves and future generations from these hazardous materials.”
• Read more: Ban PBDEs Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Letter to the Editor by Youth Trainer Emily Brease (Age 18, Healy)

Photo by: Bryn Fluharty

I could not pass up the opportunity to see the owls in the wild. It is an easy drive from Seattle to Boundary Bay. After crossing the border at the Peace Arch I only have a half hour more of driving before finding myself on a gravel covered dike separating the tide flats of the bay from the agricultural fields beyond. The tide flats provide habitat for a wide range of birds. Scanning the beach I see 8 eagles hunting small fish in the shallows. A great blue heron stalks its prey in the small grassy tufts of the tide flat as a trio of brilliant white swans swoop overhead.

Photo by: Bryn Fluharty

The owls for their part are ignoring most of their now constant paparazzi. Today there are around 18 of the owls sitting on the tangled mess of felled logs and old pilings, a mere 30 feet away from the trail. Snowy owls stand about 2 feet tall and have an average wingspan of around 5 feet. I am close enough to see their golden yellow eyes as they swivel their head in my direction. They range from almost pure white to a heavily speckled grey brown. There is little movement in the group. At times one will stretch a wing or turn its head to gaze inquisitively at something in the distance.

They have been here since December and are predicted to stay through March when conditions should improve enough for them to move on. With the uniqueness of this event it has been well publicized by the local media which in turn has caused crowds to flock here for easy access bird watching. This is an amazing opportunity to help connect people with nature in a way that is accessible to anyone willing to make the drive.

Photo by: Bryn Fluharty

Bird watching is a wonderful way to connect with nature and there are so many different types of birds to enjoy! Learning how to identify birds and be a responsible bird watcher can help you Be Out There and enjoy the birds in your own area!

Don’t forget to ‘like‘ us on facebook for more stories about wildlife and wild places and how you can help protect them!

RESTORE Act needs support from a distance now

February 17 – The longer Congress twiddles its collective thumbs about passing the RESTORE Act, the greater the potential loss to all Americans.

BP’s oil well poured some 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, killing wildlife, local businesses and a couple of tourism seasons. Another 770,000 gallons of chemical dispersants were added to the poisonous soup.

It will take billions of dollars to repair the damage.

House Giveaway to Big Oil Jeopardizes America’s Wildlife

February 16 – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed HR 3408, the natural resources section of the transportation bill. The bill would open up millions of acres of protected offshore federal waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans, and in Alaska’s salmon factory, Bristol Bay. It requires the Interior Department to sell 125,000 acres of commercial oil shale. The bill also mandates the selling off 400,000 acres of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas companies and requires the building of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

“This bill would recklessly jeopardize some of America’s most iconic wildlife, from the Arctic’s polar bears to the Atlantic’s humpback whales, while forcing the approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline even before a route is determined,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.

Senator Inhofe Seeks to Roll Back Clean Air Victory

February 16 – Senator James Inhofe has threatened to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution (CRA) to strike down the EPA’s mercury and air toxics standards for power plants as soon as today. The CRA is a wrecking ball that could permanently prevent national standards for mercury and air toxics. The new mercury rule was decades in the making and is expected save thousands of lives and improve wildlife habitat while creating jobs. POLITICO has reported that Sen. Inhofe called the new standard “a killer.”

“Senator Inhofe has it backward on what the “killer” is in this situation. EPA and public health and environment groups all agree that the overdue mercury and air toxics standard will save as many as 11,000 lives, while reducing dangerous mercury exposure to children and pregnant mothers who consume fish laced with the toxic substance,” said Joe Mendelson, NWF climate and energy policy director.

Healthy Kids From Day One Act Would Address Inactivity, Fight Childhood Obesity

February 16 – A longtime champion of measures to get America’s kids outside and moving has initiated another plan to make sure the indoor childhood scourge is short-lived.

Senator Mark Udall (CO), lead sponsor of the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act focused on getting kids outside, introduced the Healthy Kids from Day One Act today to establish a pilot program to address obesity and inactivity among young children.

The three-year program will initially operate in five states, supporting “child care collaboratives designed to reduce the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children from birth to age 5″ by focusing on healthy eating, physical activity and reducing screen time.

National Sportsmen’s Groups to Congress: ‘Restore Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast Now’

February 16 – A group of more than 650 hunting, fishing and outdoor sporting businesses and organizations are sending two sign-on letters to Congress today with a clear message — restore the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast, a vast complex of wildlife habitat that has faced high rates of landloss and suffered further degradation after the unprecedented 2010 oil spill. The letter comes at a critical time for Gulf restoration, as news reports indicate that BP is attempting this month to pay $20-$25 billion to settle with the Justice Department on all charges related to the spill.

Coalition to Congress: ‘Do Not Waver in Support for Great Lakes Programs’

February 15 – Days after the Obama Administration released its fiscal year 2013 budget, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging the U.S. Congress to hold the line against cuts to Great Lakes restoration programs that are producing results in communities across the region.

“President Obama’s budget keeps Great Lakes restoration on track,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Now we’re looking for the U.S. Congress to not waver in its commitment to restore a resource that more than 30 million people depend on for their drinking water, jobs and way of life.”

Study: Southeast biomass has carbon spike before long-term climate benefits

February 14 – A new study of southeastern forests in the U.S. finds that in the long run, burning wood instead of fossil fuels to make electricity can reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but not soon enough to prevent worsening the conditions leading to global climate change.

The study also shows that as the industry expands in the Southeast, biomass energy will increasingly come from cutting standing trees instead of using wood residues from sawmills and other sources, emphasizing the need to balance forest ecosystem health and related values, such as drinking water and wildlife habitat, with renewable energy objectives.

Public lands advocate, manager takes helm of NWF’s Rocky Mountain Regional Center

February 13 – Ann Morgan, who has extensive experience in public lands policy and management in government and nonprofits, is the new executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Rocky Mountain Regional Center in Boulder.

Morgan started Monday in her position, which will include overseeing NWF’s efforts to conserve the public lands and wildlife that are integral to the great Western landscapes. She joins NWF after six years as vice president of the public lands department at The Wilderness Society. Before that, Morgan served as state director of the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado (1997-2002) and Nevada (1994-1997) and was an adjunct professor and research fellow at the University of Colorado’s Natural Resources Law Center.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• Radio: A nationwide radio tour with Ryan Stockwell, Manager Agricultural Programs featuring the benefits of cover crops was completed this week. Ryan did a total of 9 interviews on the top agricultural radio networks in the nation. His interviews reached hundreds of stations (over 600) while exploring the benefits of cover crops to the land, water, wildlife and farmer’s bottom line.  Ryan was also interviewed by the USDA Radio Network and was heard on farm news programs nationwide via this trusted source.
• The Denver Post: EPA wants further review of water-diversion project to protect Colorado River
• E&E News: Could the Southeast create a 50-year debt of greenhouse gases by burning wood?
• Insurance Journal: 41 Senators Urge Action on Flood Insurance Reform

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

According to the Alaska Dispatch, a well being drilled by Spanish company Repsol hit a methane gas pocket, which triggered the blowout.  A crew of specialists all the way from Texas is traveling to the site, but meanwhile the well is spewing drilling mud–42,000 gallons and counting.  An expert from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation explained that the drilling mud “is hazardous to the tundra.”

Should Big Oil Be Allowed to Drill (And Spill) in Places Like the Arctic Refuge?

credit, Susanne Miller/USFWS

Some misguided members of Congress are using the excuse that extracting dirty fuels from a beautiful and untouched national treasure will pay for highway projects.  But, thanks to people voicing their outrage across the country, some elected officials are standing up against the transportation and energy bill (H.R. 3408) that would bring ruin to wildlife and wild places.

The “terrible” transportation package in Congress opens up new drilling areas on the East and West Coast, off the coast of Alaska, and in the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge, which is home to iconic wildlife like polar bears, caribou, Arctic fox, wolves, and more. House Republican leadership are using rare procedural tricks to split the bill up because many Members take serious issue with drilling impacts, so they may lack the votes to pass it all at once.

Representatives object to drilling off the coast of places like California and along the Atlantic coast, where oil spills and well blowouts, like in the Gulf spill and right now in Alaska, threaten communities that depend on tourism. Other lawmakers worry that a provision to grant industry 2 million acres of public land for oil shale speculation would generate zero energy, zero revenue, and zero jobs. A group of House Republicans even sent Speaker Boehner a letter requesting that Arctic Refuge drilling be taken out of the bill, continuing a legacy of moderate support for this pristine wilderness.

All of this new drilling revenue is supposed to pay for a chunk of the $260 billion transportation bill.  But there’s one minor detail:  much of this revenue is speculative and wouldn’t even pay for 1% of the total cost.  Groups like Club for Growth, Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Taxpayers for Common Sense agree that it is a fiscally irresponsible approach to paying for highways, bridges, and mass transit with imaginary money.

But Pipelines Transport Oil, Not People

The transportation package also requires approval of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline permit within 30 days,  which irresponsibly overturns a recent decision by the President to deny the permit.  This pipeline would move dirty Canadian tar sludge through the heartland of the U.S. to export to foreign countries, making the America complicit in the destruction of wilderness habitat in Alberta’s boreal forests and the senseless  poisoning of wildlife to make room for the pipeline. The transportation legislation, if passed in its current state, would also fuel  climate change that is already causing severe drought and economic damage in the United States.   Building the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would threaten America’s clean water supplies, raise gas prices in the U.S. and result in a net loss to American jobs.

The legislation also waives environmental review for many projects, takes away dedicated dollars for public transportation and even defunds a program to establish safe routes for kids to get to school.

Big Oil is already double-dipping into our wallets.  It is making record profit through taxpayer-funded subsidies and every time we pay at the pump–the industry doesn’t need another expensive gift from us.

Help Protect Wildlife from Arctic Drilling

Arctic wildlife are already suffering from loss of sea ice from global warming.  The lives of species like the ringed seal and the polar bear would be at even greater risk from an oil spill in the Arctic Ocean, which would be virtually impossible to clean up in the remote and rough, frigid waters.  The blowout on Alaska’s North Slope is a perfect example: a crew of specialists had to be called up from Texas to try and control the well.

Wildlife need you to speak up for them and tell their member of Congress that the entire transportation package is a bad deal for wildlife, our clean air and water, and the future of public transportation.

Urge your decision-makers to make the right choice to protect wildlife from drilling >>

Today, we know that Rachel’s observations about “the global thermostat” were prescient. Recent studies confirm that the oceans have indeed warmed by about 1 degree F to a depth of 200 feet, and the overwhelming scientific consensus is that increasing levels of human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are the principal cause of this profound change in marine temperatures.

Since higher surface-water temperatures amplify hurricane intensities, the implications of warming seas should not be ignored. As ocean temperatures continue to increase, hurricanes are expected to have stronger winds and produce more rainfall—unwelcome news for coastal areas already experiencing storm-related losses.

Warmer ocean currents also can introduce migrating fish and invasive species to areas they previously didn’t inhabit, and the new arrivals can overwhelm native populations or alter newfound aquatic habitats. Warm waters tend to amplify the threats of pollution and exacerbate overfishing on weakened marine systems. Overheated, these systems have less ability to hold oxygen, threatening near-shore habitats that carry high pollution loads. Degraded estuaries, tidal flats, bays and other nursery waters are at particular risk. These fragile habitats can become oxygen-deprived faster in a warming world. Oxygen depletion is not limited to coastal habitats, however. It is a growing menace to vast oceanic regions.

As water temperatures rise, the ocean’s most productive and sensitive ecosystems are showing the strain. On reefs, the algae living symbiotically within coral die, leaving the telltale ghostly bleached coral skeletons. Lacking algae for prolonged periods, the coral can suffer irreversible decline and, ultimately, death. Loss of coral has enormous implications for fish and the rest of the marine web of life, as well as coastal communities.

Researchers have documented that warming ocean currents have accelerated melting of the floating Arctic sea ice sheet and the decline and breakup of Antarctic ice shelves. Greenland is now losing an estimated 100 billion tons of ice annually as a result of this accelerated melting. And sea levels are now projected to rise much faster than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 as a result of this acceleration, further threatening coastal habitats and human infrastructures.

Warming is not the only threat to our seas. Oceans collectively absorb about 25 percent of the annual carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, and they are becoming more acidic as carbonic acid accumulates. This has caused seawater to become more corrosive to shells and marine organism skeletons, and is interfering with production of phytoplankton.

A recently published study revealed that phytoplankton has declined by about 40 percent in the past 60 years. Another study suggests that increasing acidity reduces the availability of iron, an element crucial to phytoplankton production. Because iron already is limited in marine waters, increased acidity may have grave implications.

This is extremely important to everyone, even those of us who don’t visit beaches, scuba dive or go deep-sea fishing. Phytoplankton are responsible for more than 50 percent of the oxygen-producing photosynthesis on the planet. They also are vital building blocks in the oceanic web of life.

I wish I were making this stuff up. Sadly, the facts about these threats are well-documented in scientific literature. The simple truth is this: If we continue to pollute the air with carbon dioxide, the more acidic oceans will block iron needed for phytoplankton and become more corrosive to the shells of marine organisms. This will surely threaten the entire marine food web.

While more research can help us better understand the full range of consequences of human-induced acidification, carbon pollution clearly is acidifying the oceans, as well as heating our atmosphere. Leading climate scientist Robert Corell has determined that even with carbon reductions planned by 194 nations, average global temperature is expected to rise by 4 degrees F by 2050 and acidification of our oceans would continue.

What can each of us do to help reverse this crisis? Tell the president and Congress—and everyone who aspires to those elected offices—we need a science-based energy policy that ends carbon emissions. To learn more about NWF’s efforts to protect and restore coastal areas and combat warming, visit www. nwf.org/globalwarming and http://www.nwf.org/Oil-Spill/On-the-Ground.aspx.

Photo Credit: Kelsey Bensch, The Wilderness Society

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a diverse ecosystem that provides habitat for polar bears and Arctic terns as well as other species such as caribou, Arctic Fox, and musk oxen.  A wilderness designation for the Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain — the area that is constantly under threat of drilling — is needed protect this habitat forever from development and help increase resiliency to the impacts of climate change.

National Wildlife Federation joined groups like Alaska Wilderness League, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife and more to deliver 860,000 comments urging wilderness protection for the coastal plain of the refuge to the Fish and Wildlife Service.  Only Congress can designate wilderness through legislation, but a recommendation in Fish and Wildlife Service’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan would send a strong signal to Congress that oil and gas drilling is incompatible with the Refuge’s purpose.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Big Oil’s friends in Congress are still pushing a dirty energy agenda that includes open up the refuge to drilling and putting wildlife at risk.  They are even pulling out their own costumes.  Alaska Representative Don Young ‘donned’ a propeller beanie cap in a House Resources committee hearing in order to drive home the point that he favors more drilling on federal lands and waters.

Rep. Young wasn’t done there.  He also got into a heated exchange with famous author and historian Douglas Brinkley (author of “The Wilderness Warrior” about President Teddy Roosevelt) at an oversight hearing on “ANWR (Arctic Refuge): Jobs, Energy and Deficit Reduction.”  Clips from that hearing can be viewed here.

It’s clear that the pressure is on for the future of the Arctic Refuge and other sensitive areas at risk from drilling.  If you would like to make a difference to protect wildlife by pushing back against drilling proponents, take action by weighing in with federal decision makers.

Last week, a team of scientists noted that thin, one-year ice has largely replaced older, thicker, multi-year ice in the Arctic.

• Arctic sea ice extent for January 2011 was the lowest in the satellite record for that month.
• In February, the LA Times reported that a female polar bear swam for nine days – nonstop — across the Beaufort Sea, before reaching an ice floe. The swim cost the bear 22 percent of her weight and her 1 year old cub.
• In April, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported that this winter’s maximum Arctic sea ice extent tied for the lowest on record.
• Summer analysis of sea ice in Hudson Bay showed that the Hudson Bay area had about 18% ice cover, compared with an average of 43% for that time of year.
• In July, a new study showed that melting sea ice in the Arctic is forcing polar bears to swim longer distances, causing many to lose their cubs.
• Last month, NSIDC announced that 2011 saw the second lowest Arctic ice levels since 1979 when satellite observations began.
• An online series from Nature this month points out that the Arctic is “warming roughly twice as fast as the rest of the globe” and facing a whole set of challenges from industrial development that it has never before experienced.

Individually these reports are alarming, but taken together they paint a frightening picture of what is happening to polar bears and the place they call home. Take it a step further and look at the overall trends of the past 10 years, and the truth is undeniable: polar bears are on a pathway to extinction unless action is taken soon to curb warming trends.

Video: Polar Bears and Sea Ice Not Adding Up

To help shed light on the relationship between sea ice and polar bears and climate change, National Wildlife Federation and Polar Bears International have released this video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It remains to be seen how long the polar bears of Churchill will be forced to stay on land this year, but it could likely be another hard year for these bears. As the video points out, we still have time to change the path we are on and avert the worst case scenarios for polar bears, the Arctic and ultimately, our planet.

Dr. Sterling Miller, NWF biologist and bear expert sums it best:

“Each day we write another chapter in the polar bear tale. Whether or not this story has a happy ending is completely up to us. Bold action to address climate change is needed if we hope to keep polar bears in our future.”

Speak up for Polar Bears

Members of Congress are pushing for legislation that would put polar bears at greater risk by ripping apart Clean Air Act limits on global warming pollution, crippling crucial conservation programs, and speeding dangerous drilling off Alaska’s coast. Help protect polar bears by sending a message to your members of Congress, urging them to stop this unprecedented attack on wildlife.

In a statement BOEMRE (the offshore regulatory agency) said that they “found no evidence that the proposed action would significantly affect the quality of the human environment.” The final outcome is contingent on a few more approvals – for safety permits and other things – but most observers believe the point is clear: the government wants drilling to happen and is working hard to make that a reality.

So what’s the big deal?  A lot of folks have pointed out the obvious: there’s no way Shell or any other company could control a blowout or clean up an oil spill in these conditions. They don’t (and won’t) have icebreaker ships to get to a spill. The skimmer ships and absorbent boom that BP used in the Gulf of Mexico were heartbreakingly useless, but even these measures wouldn’t work in the Arctic.

The Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen on an ice floe in the Beaufort Sea (photo: flickr/indigo-)

But don’t take it from me. According to US Coast Guard Commandant Robert Papp:

“If the company fails, if the response plan fails, the federal government must in some way be able to back it up with some resources. We had plenty of resources, from bases to communication systems to helicopters, in the Gulf of Mexico. And if this were to happen off the North Slope of Alaska, we’d have nothing.”

And for all of their assurances that we’ve come a long way since the Deepwater Horizon, BOEMRE still doesn’t do real-world testing of safety equipment (including blow-out preventers and capping stacks) for drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico. So it’s ludicrous to think that they’ll do real-world testing in the Arctic, where there’s no response infrastructure in place.

Computer simulations and warehouse tests don’t cut it. Not to get cute but the only way to know if you can control a blowout in the freezing, icy, howling midnight is to, well, test equipment in freezing, icy, howling midnight.

Even so, Shell is claiming they will recover 90% of any oil that spills.  Funny thing is, BP only recovered 3% of the Deepwater Horizon oil and Exxon’s Valdez cleanup only accounted for 9%.  It would be a triumph of epic proportions to recover even 10 or 15% of a possible Arctic spill.  The reality is that Shell is lying, and the government seems to be fine with that.

Around August 1, a rowing  team led by Scottish adventurer Jock Wishart will leave from Resolute Bay in the north of Canada and attempt to row the entire 450 miles to the magnetic North Pole.

Throughout the course of their trip readers can view an updated report of the expedition and track the team online .

Wishart is leading the expedition (named the Old Pulteney Row to the Pole Challenge) to point out the dramatic effects of climate change on the diminishing ice coverage in the Arctic polar regions.  He is a veteran of such adventures having also rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.

Once Ice, Now Unfrozen

The magnetic pole, is not the geographic North Pole. It is further to the South (for you tech types it is located at 78°35.7N 104°11.9W / 78.595°N 104.1983°W). For history buffs, it was first reached, by Europeans, by Sir James Clark Ross of the British Royal Navy in 1831, over ice. The magnetic pole has shifted north since then and actually shifts on a daily basis.

The Wishart crew’s attempt to reach the magnetic pole in a rowboat has only recently become even possible due to the dramatic warming taking place in the region. This warming trend has decreased the size of the Arctic ice sheets and left large areas of the Ocean unfrozen.

The effects of climate change and related warming are not the same in all parts of the world. While Earth’s average temperature rose 1.0°F during the 20th century, some areas on the Earth are warming more rapidly. Science is finding that the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as other parts of the planet. In Alaska, for example, the average temperatures increased 5.4°F between 1970 and 2000.

These warmer temperatures have caused other changes in the Arctic Ocean such as melting ice and resultant shrinking polar bear habitat and feeding grounds.

In addition to loss of polar bear and seal habitat, many other creatures are affected by the warming of the Arctic region which has a much richer subsurface ecosystem than one might think. The fact of so much sea ice melting is also bringing new external pressures to the Arctic region including an all out race by northern nations and private companies from three continents to explore the mineral, oil and natural gas potential of these new ice-freed areas.

During the course of the Wishart expedition, the crew will be using a satellite-positioning system known as Yellowbrick to track their progress. This system will automatically update a map on the official website, allowing members of the public to track the team’s voyage. One can only hope that this watching them move along this first-time water route does not also signify presiding over the road to ruin for the fragile Arctic region.