No. None of my best friends are polar bears. I have never seen one in the wild and it seems unlikely that I ever will. So I was surprised this morning by my reaction—a profound sadness, to a U.S. Government Report that said polar bears would become extinct, unless humans reverse the trend of global warming.
The article seemed to hold out some hope that there would be some global action against global warming, but we know, deep down, that it’s curtains for many species—polar bears among them.
Here’s a song you might teach to your children, so they might teach it to theirs. It’s likely to have a deeper meaning for each successive generation. Tom Paxton wrote and performed it. It’s called “Whose Garden was This?” and it goes like this:
Whose garden was this?
It must have been lovely.
Did it have flowers?
I’ve seen pictures of flowers,
And I’d love to have smelled one.
Whose river was this?
You say it ran freely?
Blue was its color?
I’ve seen blue in some pictures,
And I’d love to have been there.
[Cho:]
Ah, tell me again I need to know:
The forest had trees, the meadows were green,
The oceans were blue and birds really flew,
Can you swear that was true?

Whose grey sky was this?
Or was it a blue one?
Nights there were breezes?
I’ve heard records of breezes,
And you tell me you’ve felt one?
Whose forest was this?
And why is it empty?
You say there were bird songs?
And squirrels in the branches,
And why is it silent?
[Cho:]
Whose garden was this?
It must have been lovely.
Did it have flowers?
I’ve seen pictures of flowers,
And I’d love to have smelled one.