U.S. to list polar bears as threatened species

The U.S. government will list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, making it the first animal to win protections because of global warming.

The Arctic sea ice is vital to the bear’s survival, its habitat has dramatically melted, and computer models show that the pack ice is likely to continue shrinking in the foreseeable future, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Wednesday in announcing the move.