Recently the Bush Administration classified the polar bear as a threatened species because of the potential harm to its habitat caused by future global warming. Not everyone on Capitol Hill was happy with the decision, including Alaska’s Congressman Don Young who had this to say: “This decision represents an assault on sound science and common sense. The polar bear populations are healthy. In 1950, there were an estimated 5,000 polar bears. Current estimates put the population at 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears. The science on CO2 emissions and climate change is too speculative and uncertain to justify a listing of the polar bear as ‘threatened’. I care about the future of the polar bears, but I must oppose the listing of the healthy polar bear species.”