The Center for Biological Diversity gave official notice December 3 that it will sue the Bush administration for delaying Endangered Species Act protection for penguins threatened by global warming. After the Center filed a petition to list 12 penguin species as threatened or endangered, the government had exactly one year to determine whether the penguins deserve protection; now, after a July finding that 10 penguin species may warrant protection, the decision is overdue. By delaying protection for these penguins, the Bush administration continues to ignore the reality of global warming and yet again shirks its responsibility to protect imperiled species.
According to Dr. Shaye Wolf, a biologist with the Center: “Global warming is an overarching threat for the world’s penguins. Absent prompt action to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the survival of these penguin species will be in doubt along with that of many other wildlife species.” While the federal government flouted its duty to protect penguins threatened by global warming Monday, delegates from around the world were discussing climate change at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia. Countries will set new targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, which the United States refuses to ratify.
