Today is Polar Bear Day. Rachael is doing a project on that. If you have not read about it, you can do it here. She’s really concerned about the habitat of polar bears. She told me that we can all make a contribution towards making the polar bear live in better conditions. “We can be their friend if we want to” is how she put it. I wanted to know how. She explained how global warming were making things tough for them. She wants the polar bear to be included in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) so that these polar bears get official protections.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is poised to recommend polar bears for the ESA. Many climate maps show that there is no sharp decline in the number of polar bears, but there is a certain danger lurking in the shadows. If all goes well, the polar bear could be the first mammal to make it to the endangered list. The federal government can then protect the polar bears in Alaska and every other area where the U.S. is authorized to issue licenses. The number of polar bears spread across five continents is still over 25,000 but there are reports of the numbers dwindling in the recent times.

Some basic steps like turning of the gas when not needed, using energy efficient equipment, living the green way or using renewable sources of energy can be beneficial in the long run. Are we ready to take these baby-steps to ensure that our friends at the ice caps lead a better life? Will you help your friendly polar bear?