An Inconvenient Polar Bear

SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 25: In this handout photo provided by SeaWorld, Szenja, one of the polar bears from SeaWorld San Diego’s Wild Arctic exhibit, gets into the spirit of Halloween on October 25, 2012 in San Diego, California. Polar bears are the largest land carnivore and have 42 teeth, which they use for catching food. Polar bears swallow most food in large chunks rather than chewing. (Credit: Getty Images)

The story this week that hasn’t received much play in the mainstream media is about a new book by environmentalist Zac Unger titled “Never Look a Polar Bear in the Eye."  His goal was to document the decline of the Polar Bear population. He undertook this task by moving his wife and 3 children to remote northern Manitoba, Canada. Normally, books from these types of authors get tremendous coverage since they are usually peddling the latest hysterical fear of what humans are doing to destroy the planet. The problem in this case is that he found the exact opposite of what he expected. The problem this presents is that it counters an assumed domino effect in the theory of Climate Change:  Global Warming causes the polar ice caps to melt, the lack of ice decimates the Polar Bear habitat, their population goes toward extinction, oceans rise, all humans die.  This book challenges an almost religious orthodoxy on the liberal left. It does not fit the media template and has been almost ignored. If this story got the attention that it deserved, there would be the natural question…What else is not true about Climate Change?

It turns out that this story is not that unique. A recent Canadian Government study claimed that the population of Polar Bears has been increasing since the 1970’s. The local Inuit people go even further to say that the population is increasing even in areas where the study had population flat or down. Why isn’t the environmental movement celebrating this fact?  Why can you only find stories about this new book on Fox News? Why are environmentalists still lobbying the US Fish and Wild Life Service to change the classification of Polar Bear’s from “threatened” to “endangered”?  The ongoing myth about Polar Bears fits the political agenda of Climate Change, and the truth would really get in the way.

Bison in North America were once headed toward extinction. It has been reported that their numbers were as low as 2,000 near the end of the 1800’s. The Bison population has recovered to over 500,000, and it is a wonderful success story about restoring a species.  The wild Bison have come back, and farm raised Bison are popular due to their very lean meat. Bison burgers are moving from posh eateries to everyday restaurants. The media has reported this story, and they usually like a feel good story like this. Yet we have not seen similar attention to the good news about Polar Bears.

Even before Al Gore’s movie about Global Warming (which he has morphed into Climate Change and now calls Climate Crisis), the NY Times, Washington Post, and the major networks bought into the theory, hook line & sinker. They are now committed to promoting this belief, regardless of the facts that may surface. The current President also is a true believer, and is determined to do what he can to “Heal the planet." Eventually, McDonalds or some other restaurant will solve the Polar Bears overpopulation problem with a new menu item.  This does not deal with the shamelessness of the media taking an advocacy position on a issue that will have wrenching policy ramifications.  Lack of reporting on these new facts shows this complicity, and it won’t be solved with a special sauce.