北极熊英语阅读资料
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北极熊英语阅读资料 Polar Bears Listed as Threatened Polar bears were added to the list of threatened species and will receive special protection underU.S. law. In his statement, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne noted that the decline ofArctic sea ice is the greatest threat to the bears. Although many scientists say that human activity is directly responsible for the melting sea ice,the new polar bear protections will not change U.S. climate policy. The U.S. classifies the polar bear as a marine mammal, which means that the bear's newthreatened status will not stop oil exploration within its habitat.Hunting of polar bears as a foodsource by certain native people and trade in native handicrafts made from polar bears will alsocontinue. However, importing polar bear products from Canada (where trophy hunting is legal)will be banned. Scott Bergen is a landscape ecologist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society anda contributing author to U.S. Geological Survey studies released in 2007 that found two-thirds ofthe world's polar bears could go extinct by 2050. He and other WCS staff are "almost elated" withe decision, he said. "Even though it doesn't directly influence carbon emissions so to speak, we think it is a definitedecision in the right direction and we're pleased to see the Fish and Wildlife Service is supportingthe best science on this species," he added. Bergen noted that saving the polar bear will depend on international cooperation. Permanentsea-ice habitat is likely to remain in areas outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada andGreenland. Scientists view these areas as refuges that could allow some polar bear populations to survive overthe long term and repopulate the Arctic if temperatures decrease and sea ice returns. "If you take a long-term view—meaning a hundred-year view into the future," he said, "polarbears' existence is not necessarily totally dependent on what happens 1 / 2 北极熊英语阅读资料 in the United States."Polar bears were added to the list of threatened species and will receive special protection underU.S. law. In his statement, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne noted that the decline ofArctic sea ice is the greatest threat to the bears. Although many scientists say that human activity is directly responsible for the melting sea ice,the new polar bear protections will not change U.S. climate policy. The U.S. classifies the polar bear as a marine mammal, which means that the bear's newthreatened status will not stop oil exploration within its habitat.Hunting of polar bears as a foodsource by certain native people and trade in native handicrafts made from polar bears will alsocontinue. However, importing polar bear products from Canada (where trophy hunting is legal)will be banned. Scott Bergen is a landscape ecologist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society anda contributing author to U.S. Geological Survey studies released in 2007 that found two-thirds ofthe world's polar bears could go extinct by 2050. He and other WCS staff are "almost elated" withe decision, he said. "Even though it doesn't directly influence carbon emissions so to speak, we think it is a definitedecision in the right direction and we're pleased to see the Fish and Wildlife Service is supportingthe best science on this species," he added. Bergen noted that saving the polar bear will depend on international cooperation. Permanentsea-ice habitat is likely to remain in areas outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada andGreenland. Scientists view these areas as refuges that could allow some polar bear populations to survive overthe long term and repopulate the Arctic if temperatures decrease and sea ice returns. "If you take a long-term view—meaning a hundred-year view into the future," he said, "polarbears' existence is not necessarily totally dependent on what happens in the United States." 2 / 2 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/a13f4650d3f34693daef5ef7ba0d4a7303766c9d.html