“When it comes to the survival of the polar bear, the Bush administration is putting the ‘dead’ back into ‘deadline,"‘ said Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who heads a House of Representatives panel on climate change.

The United States has again postponed a deadline for a decision on determining the “threatened” status of the polar bear, during which time the government has sold oil and gas rights to almost 30 million acres of land - a move said by the Interior Department to be “entirely coincidental".

Even if the US eventually lists polar bears as threatened, Canada has said it is under no obligation to follow.. However, Manitoba has already listed the bears as threatened, which will allow the province to restrict development on its Arctic shoreline.

Find out what you can do to help the polar bear at Project Thin Ice.