World Wildlife Fund

U.S. Government Affirms that Climate Change is Putting Polar Bears in Peril

Climate change is destroying vital polar bear habitat, putting the species at risk of extinction, the U.S. government said today as it listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, said the government’s decision clearly indicates that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate.  

U.S. GovernmentUpdate: WWF Joins Suit Opposing Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea

WWF Joins Suit Opposing Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea

Unprotected: Bristol Bay, Alaska - World's Fish Basket

Native and Conservation Groups Voice Opposition to Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Alaska Native and conservation groups voiced their opposition to Department of Interior’s (DOI) controversial Lease Sale 193, comprising nearly 30 million acres of pristine waters in the Chukchi Sea of Alaska. The Chukchi Sea is critical habitat for polar bears, walrus, whales, seals, and migratory birds and is experiencing some of the most rapid loss of sea ice in the world due to global warming. Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the DOI, announced its intention to sell oil and gas leases in this critical part of the Arctic Ocean on January 2. Less than one week after that announcement, a different DOI agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced it would miss a legally required January 9 deadline for making its final decision on whether to list polar bears as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

MEDIA ADVISORY: Protect Polar Bears / Delay Oil Leases, World Wildlife Fund Says

Washington D.C.- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed that a decision to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect the species and its fragile Arctic environment has been plagued with delays while an oil lease sale of nearly 30 million acres of the prime polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea is scheduled for February 6 in Alaska.

Polar Bears Need Urgent Protection, Conservation Groups Testify

Washington D.C.– Margaret Williams, WWF’s Director of the Bering Sea ecoregion program, called for urgent action to save polar bears at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing entitled “Examining Threats and Protections for the Polar Bear” on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The hearing was convened to examine the status of and legal protections for the polar bear, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the status of listing the species under the act.

WWF Disappointed by U.S. Delay in Listing Polar Bears

WASHINGTON D.C. – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed disappointment over the announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on January 7, 2008 that it will delay by up to one month a final decision on  whether to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Conservation Organizations Decry Controversial Chukchi Lease Sale, Raising Concerns About Survival of Polar Bears

The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of Interior (DOI), issued its Final Notice of Intent for the Chukchi Lease Sale 193 opening approximately 29.7 million acres of the pristine Chukchi Sea to oil and gas activities on January 2.

US Government Proposal Has Potential to Derail Bali Climate Conference, Warns WWF

Bali, Indonesia – A move by the U.S. government could push the Bali climate negotiations to the brink of failure, WWF officials warned tonight. The U.S. proposal would eliminate language that called upon developed nations to consider specific, internationally binding, quantified reduction commitments, replacing it with text that calls upon countries to adopt any measures they deem appropriate.

WWF Applauds US Senate Committee Approval of Landmark Climate Change Legislation

Bali, Indonesia – Officials with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said landmark climate change legislation sent to the floor of the US Senate by the Environment and Public Works Committee this week will help put the US on the path towards meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Record Breaking Year for Climate, says WWF

Bali, Indonesia– The past year has seen yet more weather records smashed as extreme weather events take a firmer hold of the planet, says WWF.

Wild Salmon Illegally Caught in Russia and Shipped to the U.S.

WASHINGTON--East Asian countries are importing between 50 and 90 percent more Russian Sockeye salmon thanRussia is reporting as caught and much of it is destined for theU.S. according to a new report from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, and WWF.

The Golden Compass Brings New Line Cinema and the World Wildlife Fund Together To Educate Public About Global Warming

WASHINGTON, October 16, 2007 -In the new fantasy adventure film "The Golden Compass," polar bears protect themselves with suits of armor. In the real world, threats to polar bears are not so easily abated. This majestic species is one of many in danger of extinction due to harsh changes in climate, which is why New Line Cinema has launched a unique partnership today with the World Wildlife Fund to help educate the public about the impact global warming is having on animals throughout the world.

Time Running Out for Polar Bears

WASHINGTON— A new report on the fate of polar bears in a world of rapid climate change predicts disaster for one of the world's most charismatic species, World Wildlife Fund said today.

Let Nature Take Its Course in Russia's Valley of the Geysers, says World Wildlife Fund

Kamchatka, Russia—Following today’s discussion of dynamiting or using heavy machines to remove landslide mud and debris from Kamchatka’s Valley of the Geysers at a special commission meeting in the capitol of Kamchatka, World Wildlife Fund states that natural transformation of the valley must take its course.

Natural Wonder of the World Transformed within Hours, says WWF

Kamchatka, Russia—One of only five places on Earth where a concentration of geysers punch holes through the Earth’s crust to spew boiling water and steam skyward disappeared under water within hours after a massive slide of boulders, gravel, snow and ice choked the Geyser River in the world-famous Valley of the Geysers in Kamchatka’s Kronotsky Nature Preserve, according to World Wildlife Fund. The four other places are in Yellowstone National Park, Chile, Iceland and New Zealand.

Statement on President Bush's Lifting of Drilling Ban in Alaska's Bristol Bay

WASHINGTON - Bill Eichbaum, managing director and vice-president of the marine portfolio at World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement following President Bush's lifting of a ban on oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay which has been protected since 1989 through the Presidential Withdrawal first declared by President George Herbert Bush. The U.S. government has spent $95 million to buy back the oil and gas leases it sold in Bristol Bay prior to the withdrawal.

WWF Applauds U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Proposing to List Polar Bear

WASHINGTON, December 28, 2006 - The following is a statement by World Wildlife Fund's vice president Bill Eichbaum on the release of information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to propose listing the polar bear as "threatened":

President Bush Poised to Open Nation's 'Fish Basket' to Oil Drilling

WASHINGTON - President Bush is expected to remove protections within the next week for Bristol Bay, opening what many call America's "Fish Basket" to oil and gas drilling. Bristol Bay has been protected from offshore drilling since 1989 through the Presidential Withdrawal first declared by President George Herbert Bush in 1990. But the area is currently included in the Minerals Management Service's 5-year plan to develop the Outer Continental Shelf for oil and gas development.

Major Victory for the Arctic Refuge

Thanks to support from World Wildlife Fund activists, the U.S. Senate voted on Dec. 21, 2005, to strip a provision allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from an unrelated bill appropriating funding to the Defense Department. Republican Sens. Mike DeWine (Ohio) and Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), as well as Independent Jim Jeffords (Vt.), voted with the majority of Democratic senators to achieve this big win. Only four Democratic senators voted wrong: Mary Landrieu (La.), Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) Ben Nelson (Nebr.), and Daniel Akaka (Hawaii.). Efforts in Congress to open the refuge to drilling in 2005 appear to be over, but the issue may return in 2006.

The Arctic is the chemical sink of the globe, says WWF

Washington, DC - The Arctic and its wildlife are increasingly contaminated with chemicals and pollutants that were never produced or used in that region, warns World Wildlife Fund in a new report.