Chill the Drills Main   Places in Danger: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Teshekpuk Lake The Utukok Uplands The Polar Bear Seas   Take Action! Oil Companies Stay out of the Polar Bear Habitat! Big Oil in America's Arctic The Gwich'in: A Way of Life The DespOILed Arctic The Greatest Threat to America's Arctic The Great Polar Bear Smart Energy Solutions News Environmental news, green living tips, and ways to take action: Subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider!

Places in Danger: The Polar Bear Seas Take Action! Polar Bears Need Help Now More Than Ever The Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas-the Polar Bear Seas- provide critical habitat for polar bears and other important marine mammals such as beluga and bowhead whales and bearded and spotted seals. The Chukchi Sea alone supports approximately one-tenth of the world's remaining polar bear population-a population under severe threat from global warming. But instead of working to save the polar bear, our leaders have added one more hurdle to its survival: oil drilling. The Bush administration has opened the Beaufort Sea to offshore oil and gas drilling, despite strong opposition. Now, Bush's five-year leasing plan for the Arctic Ocean has dramatically expanded offshore leasing with sales covering 40 million acres in the Chukchi Sea and 33 million acres in the Beaufort Sea. The mounting push to drill the Polar Bear Seas threatens to destroy the area forever. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club