From: tsm@fastmail.ca
Noah Sombrero wrote:
> On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 17:42:05 -0800, Dude wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>>>>>>>>>> Norways Svalbard archipelago, the fastest-warming place on
Earth but
>>>>>>>>>>>> scientists dont expect the good times to last.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> The northern Barents Sea, which stretches between Svalbard and
Russias
>>>>>>>>>>>> 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
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