Between Friends

You might need to adjust your dates when you think about how long man has used fire to forge weapons from metals, like the bronze age. I'm sure it has had a dramatic increase in the past 100 years.

First off, There are many more people around today then when Daniel Boone walked the earth. Most people didnt even live to the age of 40 then. More people means more pollution, more factories, more everything.

A lot of people say "save the planet" but very few are willing to make the huge changes needed to actually make a difference.

First stop having babies. The more people that come into this world the more room we take away from animals. The more houses, schools, parks, roads, cell towers, etc we need to support all those people.

Make your own paper, soap, lotion, clothes, toys, shoes, etc. All of those require processing in factories and that causes pollution.

Grow ALL your own food and kill all your own meat. No pesticides.Use only wind power and water power. No gas guzzeling farm equipment allowed. No 4-wheelers, no SUV's.

No more cell phones, Ipods, game boys or computers. They will never ever biodegrate filling our landfills even higher.

The kind of changes needed to stop melting the ice caps will take a massive effort and I just dont think enough people will care to live like Daniel Boone did.

it will get a lot worse before it ever gets any better.........

Amen -- wow, could not agree more with sarcastic dragon and captain kurk.

The starfish story is a great analogy and while that's exactly what any massive change requires, it just seems that many people don't really, truly give a damn -- some [as in the ones who can make huge steps in that direction] are quick to talk the talk and yet they are not really doing much if anything.

I have become a cynic and know all too well how decision makers chase the almighty dollar, all in the name of "shareholder value" and "equity for investors" -- with little regard for anything else! Be it wanting to open up Alaska and now Montana, for oil drilling. To whatnot else.

The polar bears are fine. Quit believing this liberal ecology crap. The Earth is going through it's natural cycles and there is NOTHING to fear!

You gullible fools will believe anything!

Global warming.....boloney!

Honestly, I'm still trying to get past the fact that anyone took the first poster seriously, and still astounded that so many people actually believe in Al Gore and all of his alarmist garbage.

I know facts won't matter, because they never do when it comes to dealing with the left-wing crazies who care more about imagined disasters than they do about living in the real world, but here goes:

The FACT is that in 1972 there were about 5,000 polar bears on the polar ice shelf and now there are 25,000. That's an INCREASE of about 20,000, not a DECREASE as one might expect when the extinction threat alarm spikes to code yellow.

The FACT is that the the polar ice shelf has not shrunk, but is in fact at it's second LARGEST ever, and that's according to the latest release by the NOAA.

Of course, they are just another wicked government agency who probably spout unacceptable things like FACTS instead of scary little stories about precious polar bears, but what the heck, somebody has to stand up and tell the emporor he's not wearing any clothes!

Of course we need to take care of our planet and do the best we can to control pollution and such. That's a God-ordained command. But to tell people to stop having kids, or make their own shoes is a bit extreme. If you really believed that, you wouldn't have a computer to type it on.

Weather patterns and cycles will come and go no matter what we do or do not do. Instead of wasting your time throwing starfish in the ocean, let the tide come up and do its job.

To be fair...whether you agree with Global Warming or not...the polar bears are hurting. Native Alaskans along the Beaufort Sea are very concerned. As goes the polar bear, so goes their winter fishing, etc. Whatever the reason, the species is very threatened.

other animals outside of regulated hunting limits and seasons. The exception is the few remaining nomadic Eskimos who use the whole body for food, clothing, and tools. Are some of the polar bears’ habitats disappearing yes but nature balances out animals and their environment? Sure we will see a drop in the population but the food supply has also encountered a drop in population as well. Don’t hear too much about the seals, walruses, whale carcasses and various birds the polar bears feed on.

The other problem is for the most part predatory animals usually stay away from human developments. However the polar bear being somewhat of a scavenger will venture into areas where open trashcans and animal carcasses are left unattended. Instead of removing bears to remote areas people just kill them instead. Easier and cheaper. When predatory animals are removed herbivores then become overpopulated. Since the predators are gone the weak and sick continue to live thus spreading disease to the stronger animals and eventually humans. But when man tries be the predator he is met with opposition. “Don’t kill Bambi” they are harmless animal. So are cows and it is ok to kill them for food and clothing.

The sky isn’t falling (at least for now) polar bears will still be around for our great great great grandchildren to see. But the main question is if you lived in an area with polar bears would you stay, would you move, or would you have the bears removed? It is the polar bears environment as well.

As I have said in other blogs we can have progress and also be responsible to the environment. For example take a look at the lumber and paper industry who have been recycling for years. Plus they (both lumber and paper) will plant three trees for every one tree cut down. Now these two industries are cutting second-generation trees that were planted 60-70 years ago. If other countries like Japan and much of Europe can do this I am sure we as Americans can do this too.

Jaydog: True, people aren't going to change the way they live anytime soon -- but even a simple change taken by millions isn't enough to counter the damage already done. And as you know, people are not going to change anything, ever, until they absolutely must change and/or are required to change. It's just not realistic.

Right moves: LOL. I'm a right winger but am also an independent thinker and a scientist. And only a fool -- or those who benefit financially from environmental destruction -- would think the mounting evidence, that global warming is, um, indeed happening, is fabricated. Usually it's the left wingers blamed for having the conspiracy theories, but this case sheds new light on who the conspirators are -- those plundering the non-renewable riches of our country for the sake of an extra buck.

Snoop: habitat destruction is an issue but its not the topic here -- polar bears are not losing their habitat to Walmart et al, or any one party, their habitat is being lost due to the industrialized world as a whole. Big difference. And as for their range, polar bear habitat is the polar ice cap, which circles the globe at the north pole and includes North America, Greenland, Norway and Russia. The melting of glaciers and thousands of square miles of ice is throughout this region, not limited to only the portion that is within Alaska and Canada. The sub-artic temperate zones are less affected because under the ice in these zones lies earth.

All of those calls for change are noble but are they realistic -- for any one person or family, let alone an entire socie