The US government has declared the polar bear a threatened species because of the loss of Arctic sea ice but also cautioned the decision should not be viewed as a path to address global warming.

Only a third of the world’s polar bears may be left within 50 years because of thinning sea ice from global warming in the Arctic, the US Geological Survey said.

Polar bears are in jeopardy and need stronger government protection because of melting Arctic sea ice related to global warming, the Bush administration says.

US Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has got his first look at BP’s pipeline corrosion at Prudhoe Bay as one of the company’s senior executives said a way might be found to return to full oil production before having to replace 16 miles (26 kilometers) of pipes.