In 2013 the NRDC won a great victory for the polar bear – – ensuring they stay on the endangered species list.
In March 2013, “The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld a 2008 decision to protect polar bears throughout their range as a “threatened” species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The court dismissed challenges by the state of Alaska, polar bear trophy hunters and others seeking to strip the polar bear of its protection…
”This ruling forces Alaska to acknowledge what has been painfully clear to everyone else: polar bears are on a collision course with climate change and deserve protection,’ said Rebecca Riley, attorney in NRDC’s land and wildlife program. ‘Now, we need to get serious about tackling climate change and other threats to the species like hunting and toxic contamination,'” (NRDC)
Celebrate and get all of 2013’s polar bear highlights here!
