Those who believe in the Al Gore-Jim Hansen view of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming, and politicians looking to increase government power are using Polar Bears to advance their cause. If they can get the Polar Bears designated as an endangered species as a result of global warming then they can use existing law to stop generation of carbon dioxide. (Humans generate about one kg of CO2 per day. It's not clear if Gore et al want us to stop breathing, but it is certain that a lot of "greens" would like to see fewer people in the world.) One problem for the "warmists" is that the Polar Bear population has increased dramatically over the last 30 or 40 years. And, this year the Polar Bears are having a hard time becasue of the cold. Here is a review of the subject:

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/earticle/4468/