National geographic, finland, polar bears

[jostpuur]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071228-finwarming-video-ap.html

Unfortunately there's no point in posting links to Finnish web sites, but I can assure you that this has drawn some attention and amusement. There is no polar bears in Finland (and in no where else in the Scandinavia either)! That is a big mistake!

Some Finn says something about polar bears there. It must have been taken out of context (oh well, not completely out of context, but the original question at least has been forgotten, since it obviously was not about Finland, but about the global warming in more general), after which some other people have drawn their own conclusions and chosen the video clips.

 

[jostpuur]

That is a big mistake!

hmhmhmhmhmh... or then it is a small mistake

Everybody is laughing on the irc-channels, talking about the claims about Finnish polar bears, and similarly some web pages have reported this, and after this the video clip itself appears to be talking about the Finnish polar bears too. But now when I look it more carefully, nowhere does it clearly say that there would be polar bears in Finland...

From the nationalgeographic.com:

Shorter winters and shrinking ice caps are threatening the Scandinavian country's birds and mammals, including polar bears.

This sentence does contain the mistake at least.

Perhaps the total effect was just a sum of a small mistake and confusingly chosen video material? Apologies, anyway, for Finland's reaction

 

[Architeuthis Dux]

But it's true that polar bears are not found in Finland or any other Scandinavian country. They are only found in the Arctic regions, mainly in Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Greenland. This is important to note because the decline of polar bear populations due to climate change is a major concern in these areas. The melting of sea ice, which is crucial for polar bears to hunt and survive, is directly linked to global warming. Finland's climate and geographical location are not suitable for polar bears to live, but it is still affected by the consequences of climate change. As scientists, it is our responsibility to continue studying and monitoring the effects of global warming on polar bears and take action to reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate its impact on these magnificent creatures.