From: punditster@gmail.com   
      
   On 2/2/2026 4:42 PM, Noah Sombrero wrote:   
   > On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 15:51:53 -0800, Dude  wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 2/2/2026 3:33 PM, Noah Sombrero wrote:   
   >>> On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 15:00:44 -0800, Dude  wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 2/2/2026 2:12 PM, Noah Sombrero wrote:   
   >>>>> On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 13:31:37 -0800, Dude  wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On 2/2/2026 10:05 AM, Noah Sombrero wrote:   
   >>>>>>> On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 09:33:48 -0800, Dude  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> On 2/2/2026 8:56 AM, Noah Sombrero wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>> On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 14:25:30 +0000, Julian    
   >>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Polar bears are getting fatter in the fastest-warming place on Earth   
   >>>>>>>>>> Shrinking sea ice has made life harder for polar bears in many   
   parts of   
   >>>>>>>>>> the Arctic, but the population in Svalbard seems to be thriving   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Polar bears have been getting fatter even as sea ice disappears in   
   >>>>>>>>>> Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the fastest-warming place on Earth   
   – but   
   >>>>>>>>>> scientists don’t expect the good times to last.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> The northern Barents Sea, which stretches between Svalbard and   
   Russia’s   
   >>>>>>>>>> Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean, has been heating up seven times   
   >>>>>>>>>> faster than the globe as a whole. The sea ice around Svalbard lasts   
   two   
   >>>>>>>>>> months less in winter and spring than it did two decades ago. Bears   
   now   
   >>>>>>>>>> have to swim 200 to 300 kilometres between hunting grounds on the   
   ice   
   >>>>>>>>>> and snow dens on the islands where they give birth.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> But the average size and weight of the Svalbard bears have increased   
   >>>>>>>>>> since 2000, a finding that surprised Jon Aars at the Norwegian Polar   
   >>>>>>>>>> Institute, who led the study.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> “We should think about this as good news for Svalbard,” he   
   says. “But if   
   >>>>>>>>>> you want bad news, you can just go and look somewhere else where you   
   >>>>>>>>>> have very, very firm evidence that climate change is impacting polar   
   >>>>>>>>>> bears negatively.”   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> This wide-ranging, solitary predator is split into 20 populations   
   across   
   >>>>>>>>>> the far north, where it is extremely difficult to count. While its   
   >>>>>>>>>> numbers are declining in parts of Alaska, Canada and Greenland, they   
   >>>>>>>>>> appear to be stable or increasing in other places. For nine of the   
   >>>>>>>>>> populations, data is too sparse to say.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> The Barents Sea population, which was estimated at 1900 to 3600   
   bears   
   >>>>>>>>>> two decades ago, is thought to be stable or perhaps even growing.   
   >>>>>>>>>> Starting in 1995, Aars and his colleagues tranquilised 770 bears   
   with   
   >>>>>>>>>> dart guns from helicopters. They hopped out onto the snow or ice to   
   >>>>>>>>>> measure their length and, to estimate weight, their girth at the   
   chest.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Trend analysis showed this body condition decreased until 2000, then   
   >>>>>>>>>> increased until the end of observations in 2019.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> In the spring, when ringed seals give birth to pups on the sea ice,   
   >>>>>>>>>> polar bears hunt them to build up stores of fat for the ice-free   
   months.   
   >>>>>>>>>> Aars and his colleagues believe the shrinking ice area may be making   
   >>>>>>>>>> these seals easier to find.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> The bears are also exploiting new food sources. The approximately   
   250   
   >>>>>>>>>> individuals that remain on the islands when the ice recedes may be   
   >>>>>>>>>> hunting more bearded seals along the coast, as well as harbour   
   seals,   
   >>>>>>>>>> which are spreading to Svalbard as the climate warms.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> These “local bears” are increasingly ransacking duck and geese   
   colonies   
   >>>>>>>>>> for eggs, and they have been seen chasing down reindeer from a   
   growing   
   >>>>>>>>>> cervid population. The carcasses of walruses, another species that   
   is   
   >>>>>>>>>> increasing there, can provide weeks of feasting.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Alec Luhn / New Scientist   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> So it appears that the warming can no longer be dismissed as a hoax.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Thank you for reminding us of that!   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Not sure this is still an issue these days. Almost everyone wants   
   >>>>>>>> cleaner air, with less smog from vehicles and factories.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Perhaps soon, people will realize that whether or not the change is   
   >>>>>>>>> man made,   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> The hoax was the belief that humans can change the weather, one way or   
   >>>>>>>> the another. Global warming could be the result of sun flares.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Like your idea that maybe there is no real answer to whether a person   
   >>>>>>> knows the difference between right or wrong.  But the fact is that   
   >>>>>>> there is a yes/no answer and that is what the judge and jury will need   
   >>>>>>> to hear.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> But for you, as long as it suits what you want to believe.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Yes, there are somethings that can be done, and we know what that is.   
   >>>>>>> But guys like you cripple our ability to do those things.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> there is something people can do to lessen the effect.   
   >>>>>>>>> Perhaps, maybe.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> The real issue, is the moral flag waving. Almost everyone exhales and   
   >>>>>>>> eats beef. Some of your best friends probably drive ice cars and buy   
   >>>>>>>> imported dolls.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> None of which has anything to do with what can be done.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Admit it. You eat beef and drive an ice car. Wheres Nick?   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> If this is such an important issue, why are some countries still   
   >>>>>>>> powering energy from coal, instead of clean energy from nuclear?   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Many were headed that way until himbo came along.  And no nuclear   
   >>>>>>> energy is also not clean.  But it is a different kind of dirty.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Trump has nothing to do with your use, or not, of pollution producing   
   >>>>>> agents like gasoline or coal produced electricity. Just turn your light   
   >>>>>> off and stay home. You are on your own, how far you want to go. Recycle   
   >>>>>> your plastic, if you wan to.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> The problem arises when most of us start doing the same thing.  My   
   >>>>> participation in that or not has zero effect on the problem.  But it   
   >>>>> does make you good to feel excused from attempts to actually make a   
   >>>>> difference.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>> You could start by eliminating coal burning as a source for producing   
   >>>> energy. It's your choice.   
   >>>   
   >>> lf I had the power to do that, I certainly would.   
   >>>   
   >> Shut down the Canadian steel industry?   
   >   
      
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