The Interior Department has decided today to protect the polar bear population under the Endangered Species Act. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne says that polar bears are threatened because the Arctic ice is melting. And faster than we imagined.

This is the first time that the Endangered Species Act has been used to protect a species threatened by the impacts of climate change. But the New York Times reports, this ruling may not have the impact many are hoping for:

But the long-delayed decision to list the bear as a threatened species may prove less of an impediment to industries along the Alaskan coast than many environmentalists had hoped. While further protecting the polar bear from direct or immediate threats like hunting the Interior Department added stipulations, seldom invoked under the act, that will make it relatively easy for oil and gas exploration and development activities to proceed.

Giulia wrote about We Can Solve It last month, and they had a terrific campaign to help protect the polar bears. by visiting the We Can Solve It action center and get tips and tools from the National Resource Defense Council.

Related:

• Polar Bear Added to Protected Species List
• National Resource Defense Council
• US Fish and Wildlife Services Polar Bear Information