Forward Action Plan

"Acres for the Atmosphere"

It is an amazing feat to gather 20 zoo keepers for one week on the sub-arctic tundra and facilitate the creation of their plan to save the world. What was their challenge? Change behavior to reverse the effects of global warming to save polar bear habitat within the next five years, before it is too late. It is a lofty, but critical goal. Views of wild polar bears provided the inspiration and we provided the guidance and tools to empower these keepers to take the challenge into their own hands and develop a plan to enact the change necessary to save polar bear habitat.

They called their inspired project “Acres for the Atmosphere.” The overall goal is to increase greenspace in an effort to sequester the carbon that causes global warming and the eventual effect of climate change. While many groups focus on tree planting, the significance of this project is that it focuses on large tracts of land, not just the planting of individual trees. Additionally, the scope of the project involves all aspects of greening, not just tree planting, but saving existing forest from unsustainable harvest. Each keeper will return to their local community and begin the process of engaging partners in greening large tracts of land.

Global warming is causing the melting of sea ice that polar bears, and many other species, require for survival. Without sea ice, polar bears cannot hunt seals, the major food source their lives depend on. If the ice disappears, ultimately polar bears will too. Greening projects like “Acres for the Atmosphere” are just one way to address the many challenges of reducing the effects of global warming. We need you to get involved too. Read more about what you can do to help. Leading scientists now report that we have only five years before we reach the tipping point when global warming becomes irreversible resulting in polar bears being lost forever. Right now we have a chance. What will you do?