If Polar Bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, it would be the first official admittance by the administration that global warming is real. As is always the case with this bunch, it’s too little, too late. If politicians had actually listened to the scientists over a decade ago, there may have been a chance to save this species.

The administration’s proposal — which was described by an Interior Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity — stems from the fact that rising temperatures in the Arctic are shrinking the sea ice that polar bears need for hunting. The official insisted on anonymity because the department will submit the proposal today for publication in the Federal Register, after which it will be subject to public comment for 90 days…

…”We’ve reviewed all the available data that leads us to believe the sea ice the polar bear depends on has been receding,” said the Interior official, who added that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have concluded that polar bears could be endangered within 45 years. “Obviously, the sea ice is melting because the temperatures are warmer.”

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h/t Truthdig