Comments on: Victory of Ignorance http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:51:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Tony Edwards http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1786 Tony Edwards Wed, 21 May 2008 16:30:06 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1786 <p>One small point that needs to be continually hammered home is that a Polar Bear is a grizzly bear in a white fur coat. They weigh many hundred pounds, stand up to seven feet tall, have claws bigger than most people's fingers and teeth to match. Their favourite way of eating a meal is to chew and rip a seal into suitable size chunks which they can gulp down, while the snow or ice around them turns red.<br /> Not my favourite fuzzy pet.<br /> It's also worth mentioning that, while the watermelons are blaming man for thousands of extinctions per year, we have been trying for millennia to drive ants, cockroaches, mice, rats, mosquitoes, lawyers, politicians priests and sundry other pests to extinction, but have failed dismally. As extinctioneers, we suck.</p> One small point that needs to be continually hammered home is that a Polar Bear is a grizzly bear in a white fur coat. They weigh many hundred pounds, stand up to seven feet tall, have claws bigger than most people’s fingers and teeth to match. Their favourite way of eating a meal is to chew and rip a seal into suitable size chunks which they can gulp down, while the snow or ice around them turns red.
Not my favourite fuzzy pet.
It’s also worth mentioning that, while the watermelons are blaming man for thousands of extinctions per year, we have been trying for millennia to drive ants, cockroaches, mice, rats, mosquitoes, lawyers, politicians priests and sundry other pests to extinction, but have failed dismally. As extinctioneers, we suck.

]]> By: Mike http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1785 Mike Sat, 17 May 2008 13:44:28 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1785 <p>I like Lomborg's take on this. If they're so threatened, stop hunting them. </p> I like Lomborg’s take on this. If they’re so threatened, stop hunting them.

]]> By: Mesa Econoguy http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1784 Mesa Econoguy Sat, 17 May 2008 04:15:23 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1784 <p><i>The interesting thing about the Passenger Pigeon was the impact its extinction had on another species—man. That impact was essentially none.<br /> Posted by: Sun Tzu</i></p> <p>Ah yes, but what about the passenger polar bear?</p> <p>Or the courier sloth? Or the Maitre D’ocelot? </p> <p>Shame….<br /> </p> The interesting thing about the Passenger Pigeon was the impact its extinction had on another species—man. That impact was essentially none.
Posted by: Sun Tzu

Ah yes, but what about the passenger polar bear?

Or the courier sloth? Or the Maitre D’ocelot?

Shame….

]]> By: Mesa Econoguy http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1783 Mesa Econoguy Sat, 17 May 2008 04:05:14 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1783 <p><i>Polar Bears need sunny vacations, too…..</i> </i> </i> </i></p> Polar Bears need sunny vacations, too…..

]]> By: jnicklin http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1782 jnicklin Sat, 17 May 2008 01:46:17 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1782 <p>I was just looking at some of the Polar Bear habitats on Google Earth. They are now using 2008 imagry, its early May and there is no ice shown, anywhere in the Artcic Ocean. It must be really hot up there. Or maybe Google's start shareholder, Al Gore, had them airbrush it out. I'm pretty sure the ice is still there, it just left some Manotoba lakes last weekend.</p> I was just looking at some of the Polar Bear habitats on Google Earth. They are now using 2008 imagry, its early May and there is no ice shown, anywhere in the Artcic Ocean. It must be really hot up there. Or maybe Google’s start shareholder, Al Gore, had them airbrush it out. I’m pretty sure the ice is still there, it just left some Manotoba lakes last weekend.

]]> By: jnicklin http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1781 jnicklin Sat, 17 May 2008 01:40:49 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1781 <p>No problem Kent. There are more sites that can give you info on the polar bears.</p> <p>http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/04/25/species-risk.html is a fairly balanced report, providing information that some populations are increasing and some decreasing while others are stable. The World Wildlife Fund (Canada) has a chart that indicates that the bears are in dire straights with the best news that some are just stable.</p> <p>The fact that polar bears can survive in Ontario (the northern-most part of that province is nowhere near the artic or summer ice) would indicate that they are fairly robust in climate tolerance. The bears also seem to be doing well enough to receive visitors in Churchill, Manitoba where they have an open sea during the summer as well as a thriving eco-tourism industry featuring the white ursids.</p> <p>At any rate, you have to read carefully and from many sites to piece together a picture. </p> No problem Kent. There are more sites that can give you info on the polar bears.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/04/25/species-risk.html is a fairly balanced report, providing information that some populations are increasing and some decreasing while others are stable. The World Wildlife Fund (Canada) has a chart that indicates that the bears are in dire straights with the best news that some are just stable.

The fact that polar bears can survive in Ontario (the northern-most part of that province is nowhere near the artic or summer ice) would indicate that they are fairly robust in climate tolerance. The bears also seem to be doing well enough to receive visitors in Churchill, Manitoba where they have an open sea during the summer as well as a thriving eco-tourism industry featuring the white ursids.

At any rate, you have to read carefully and from many sites to piece together a picture.

]]> By: Kent Gatewood http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1780 Kent Gatewood Sat, 17 May 2008 00:28:37 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1780 <p>jnicklin, </p> <p>thank you very much,</p> <p>Kent</p> jnicklin,

thank you very much,

Kent

]]> By: jnicklin http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1779 jnicklin Fri, 16 May 2008 20:08:44 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1779 <p>Kent,</p> <p>The 25K seems to be a total for all polar regions. About 60% live in Canada. See: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/ The biggest threat to polar bears is hunting, they were hunted down to a population of about 5,000 or so in the 70s and early 80s.</p> <p>Will we now expect the government to list other species with increasing populations as threatened or endangered? Its a real mixed message. Observation says the bears, on the whole, are doing pretty well, but we think they might, someday be in trouble, based on GCM results.</p> <p>There is not currently enough known to say that those populations that are declining haven't just reached the carrying capacity of their local environment. At some point population cycles limit upward population growth. Predator/prey cycles contribute. Unfortunately we now see only one influence on everything - global warming (or climate change if you like.)</p> Kent,

The 25K seems to be a total for all polar regions. About 60% live in Canada. See: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/ The biggest threat to polar bears is hunting, they were hunted down to a population of about 5,000 or so in the 70s and early 80s.

Will we now expect the government to list other species with increasing populations as threatened or endangered? Its a real mixed message. Observation says the bears, on the whole, are doing pretty well, but we think they might, someday be in trouble, based on GCM results.

There is not currently enough known to say that those populations that are declining haven’t just reached the carrying capacity of their local environment. At some point population cycles limit upward population growth. Predator/prey cycles contribute. Unfortunately we now see only one influence on everything – global warming (or climate change if you like.)

]]> By: Mike Kelley http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1778 Mike Kelley Fri, 16 May 2008 05:01:12 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1778 <p>My condolences to you. It must be painful admitting to having a journalist as a friend. </p> My condolences to you. It must be painful admitting to having a journalist as a friend.

]]> By: Kent Gatewood http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html/comment-page-1#comment-1777 Kent Gatewood Thu, 15 May 2008 21:44:03 +0000 http://climate-movie.com/wordpress/2008/05/victory-of-igno.html#comment-1777 <p>So, how are the two American populations of Polar Bears doing? Is the 25K only North American whites? How many formerly soviet white bears are there? </p> So, how are the two American populations of Polar Bears doing? Is the 25K only North American whites? How many formerly soviet white bears are there?

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