At present, polar bear populations are robust and, according to native people, are considerably larger than they were in previous decades. Predictions of polar bear endangerment are based on two sets of computer models: one set predicts how much Arctic sea ice will melt as a result of global warming, and the other predicts how polar bear populations will respond. But computer models of climate are known to be fraught with problems, and the ecological models used to predict polar bear response are equally limited.
Because of extreme limitations in data, it is essentially impossible to decide whether polar bears are endangered and whether their habitat is threatened by man-made global warming or other natural climate cycles. This is acknowledged by the experts themselves-the actual IUCN/SSC report is more broad in naming causes and more conservative about estimating their effects.
What we do know about polar bears is that, contrary to media portrayals, they are not fragile "canary in the coal mine" animals, but are robust creatures that have survived past periods of extensive deglaciation. Polar bear fossils have been dated to over one hundred thousand years, which means that polar bears have already survived an interglacial period when temperatures were considerably warmer than they are at present and when, quite probably, levels of summertime Arctic sea ice were correspondingly low.
More details on the polar bear population explosion here. Yes, that's right. The polar bear population explosion.
This is a big day for environmentalist because they have been given the ultimate weapon. Starting today it doesn't matter if global warming is real or a hoax, that argument is completely irrelevant now because extreme environmentalists will move forward boldly in the courts and will only be limited by their own imaginations. The Sierra Club can now hold aloft a huge banner saying "Mission Accomplished" Because the Bush administration has granted them absolute power.