Photo: U.S. Delays Polar Bear Listing Decision

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The U.S. government will miss a January 9 deadline to decide whether to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act because of a backlog of work, officials have announced.

Some experts worry that political pressure is causing the delay, since polar bear declines are attributed to thinning Arctic ice caused by human-induced global warming.

Photograph by Joel Sartore/NGS

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