Dead Bear Cubs, Oh Noes!

The Global Warming scare mongers are at it again. 

They are using the spectre of cuddly polar bear cubs being devoured by cannibalistic adult male bears as a sign that Global Warming is upon us.

Aren't they the cutest!?!?!

The 'science' site Live Science (http://www.livescience.com/17500-global-warming-driving-polar-bears-cannibalism.html) recently asked the question

"Is Global Warming Driving Polar Bears to Cannibalism?"


Of course, the question begs the answer.  Of course it is, and how sad for the cuddly little polar cubs.


Well, maybe not.

The article starts out with the usual unsupported assertions and anecdotes:

A new article in the journal Arctic suggests that polar bear cannibalism — typically the predation of small bears or cubs by much larger adult males — is either much more commonplace than previously thought, or has lately become more common. In the paper, leading polar bear biologist Ian Stirling and nature photographer Jenny Ross detail three recent instances of the behavior among polar bears in Norway's Svalbard Archipelago, each of which was photographed from the decks of ecotourism and research boats anchored a few hundred yards away.

The evidence here is pretty slim: a few tourist boats took some pictures and this proves Global Warming.   By that standard topless women on spring break must also be caused by Global Warming. (Finally! A global warming theory I can get on board with!)

Serious science demands that there be more evidence than a few random pictures to draw a valid conclusion.  This fact is acknowledged in the article:

The scientists are asking: are polar bears more often resorting to cannibalism because of increased hunger and desperation, or are we simply more frequently observing a behavior that has always existed? They say it's an important question to answer, because it will reveal whether or not the Svalbard polar bear population has started to feel the heat from climate change.


In other words: is it simply random chance that we took a few pictures of dead polar bear cubs, or is it evidence of massive and deadly global warming.

Luckily for us, the article goes on to provide the answer to that very question.  After explaining that AGW leads to lack of food, and that lack of food leads to thinner bears, they note:

"However, the bears [in this study] were all in pretty good body condition. A fat bear wouldn't be very motivated to risk attacking another polar bear just for food. So, we should certainly be cautious in interpreting these observations and remain open to other explanations."

So there we have it.  Fat bears are eating baby bears and scaring the tourists.  But this has NOTHING to do with Global Warming.  These observations are anecdotal at best and they are the opposite of what theory says they should be.

Once again we see that AGW "science" is not science at all.  It is crude propaganda designed to tug on the hearts stings of gullible Americans.



This article should more properly be titled:

"Fat Polar Bears Eat Cubs and Make Tourists Cry"