AOS Colloquium Series - Cecilia Bitz

In 2008, polar bears became the first species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to the threat of climate change. The biological link between Arctic sea ice loss and polar bear survival was clear, and scientists projected that up to two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could disappear by mid-century. Yet a legal loop-hole has prevented considering anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in ESA evaluations of proposed actions that impact polar bear survival and habitat.