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Флоке | Flocke

Steiner took on responsibility of godfather

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Thu, 06/05/2008 - 12:08 — Anonymous

28 May 2008 – On May 28, 2008, the director of the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, Achim Steiner, took on the responsibility of "godfather" to Nuremberg's polar bear Flocke.
Steiner (left) signed the contract with Nuremberg Zoo. At the same time, zoo director, Dr. Dag Enke (right), presented the zoo campaign.

At the 2008 UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Steiner signed the contract with Nuremberg Zoo, acknowledging the zoo's efforts towards climate protection. As a countermove to Achim Steiner becoming Flocke's "godfather", the zoo committed to acting in a climate-friendly way, conforming with the United Nations Environment Programme". At the same time, zoo director, Dr. Dag Enke, presented the new zoo campaign "Climate Protection Begins At Home".

"Presently, we are in the middle of the sixth wave of species dying out, which was caused more by human than by natural influences. Climate change constitutes an additional threat, challenging all human beings and all animals living in the wild. Many countries, with all the people, animals and plants living there, will find it more and more difficult to adapt to the speed and the extent of environmental changes, if we don't act immediately", said Steiner, who succeeded Klaus Töpfer as UNEP's director.

"Polar bears, as some of the most charismatic creatures, are in the focus of a hurricane-like climate change", Steiner continued. "Polar bears are also animals which can act as a a symbol both for the threat and for the hopes of people all over the world that we might yet manage to switch over to a low-carbon economy."

This is why he was happy to have been asked to become "godfather" to Nuremberg's polar bear cub, Flocke. He expressed his hope that within Flocke's lifetime, a global green economy might become reality. This green economy would be able to reduce CO2 emissions to a level which would guarantee survival of the arctic habitat as a place where both polar bears and the indigenous populations can live and prosper in millenniums to come.

Nuremberg Zoo shares Steiner's view that polar bears are the most prominent victims of climate change which endangers the major eco systems on our planet. Polar bears are a symbol, reminding us that it is high time to implement a global reversal of these dangerous trends. Dr. Dag Encke emphasized: "The immediate danger to polar bears who are losing their habitat because the ice is melting, might be more powerful in making people rethink than all the political statements so far."
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Where do polar bears live? Polar bears range throughout the circumpolar north in areas where they can hunt seals at open leads. The five "polar bear nations" in which the bears are found include the U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway. Polar bears do not live in the southern hemisphere.

The number of polar bear populations that are declining has increased. In 2005, a group of scientists and managers from five Arctic nations unanimously concluded that two of Canada’s 13 populations were depleted and five were declining. This is in contrast to a 2001 assessment that only one to two populations were in decline.
In the Western Hudson Bay, published peer-reviewed studies show that the population declines and other changes - such as reduced weight, decreased reproductive success, and decreased size - are clearly linked to the decline in sea ice.
Since 2002, many polar bear populations in Alaska have shown increasing signs of stress, including drownings, malnutrition, and cannibalism. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that all polar bears in Alaska may be extinct as early as 2050.

"Flocke (snowflake) must not melt". She won't. But the snow and the pack ice of the Arctic will melt, unless we take the earth's climate more into account and start living and working in a more sustainable way . Little Flocke can be an ambassador for her fellow polar bears in the extreme northern regions who will not be able to survive without pack ice.

What can each of us do for the protection of polar bears and of our climate?

1. Make donations to polar bear projects run locally by scientists and conservationists.

Nature organisations and organisations protecting endangered species support research on polar bears and the introduction of reservations. What protects polar bears will also help other wildlife and plants in the Arctic.

2. When shopping, look out for certificates of compliance with climate standards.

When shopping for many consumer goods (such as vegetables, fish, coffee, clothing, timber, electric appliances and more) we now have a choice between conventionally produced goods and those which comply with specific environmental, climatic, and social standards.

3. Lead a "climate-aware" life

However, changing your shopping habits won't be enough. Our life style should also become sustainable. In our homes and on our travels, even in our eating habits and when investing money – we can look out for ecological standards. But don't worry: the modern answer to the challenge of climate change is not an ascetic life style. The key word is "compensation". If you like to drive your sports car, you can adjust your life style elsewhere to make up for increased CO2 output.