If we want polar bears to survive, we need to change. Period. Each year more sea ice melts which means a tough existence for the polar bear and its cubs. The only way to save the polar bear (which has gone beyond being endangered) is to make both personal and global changes. Here are the facts.
There are an estimated 20-25,000 polar bears in the wild today and the biggest threat to their existence is climate change. In some parts of the world where polar bears live, the average temperature has risen 4-7 degrees over the past 50 years which is twice the global average. This rise in temperature is causing the sea ice to melt earlier than normal. No sea ice means that polar bears don’t have ample time to build up enough fat to make it through the months of fasting. Sadly, many polar bears starve to death or lose their cubs.
According to ActionBioScience.org:
- Polar bears eat meat exclusively.
- The ringed seal and bearded seal are their primary source of food. Seals rely on sea ice to reproduce and molt, and neither species is found where sea ice is absent.
- Polar bears need sea ice to hunt and breed.
Climate change is critically harming polar bears by:
- making it more difficult for them to hunt and reproduce.
- decreasing areas for dens and subsequently decreasing the chances of cub survival.
- increasing the interactions between polar bears and humans.
The World Wildlife Federation estimates, “If current warming trends continue unabated, scientists believe that polar bears will be vulnerable to extinction within the next century.”
More resources on the future of polar bears (as well as other species) and what you can do to help:
- Obama sticks with Bush-era polar bear rule
- The Arctic Climate Feedbacks: Global Implications Report
- Walrus Populations Threatened by Climate Change
- Climate impacts on species in North America
- Polar Bears and the Impacts of Global Warming
Reducing carbon emissions is a starting point for saving our planet. Polar bear scientist Andrew Derocher says that even small changes can make a difference if each of us helps.
Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/mape_s/ / CC BY 2.0.
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Another link for your collection: the Polar Bear assessment on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22823/0
Derocher is a member of the IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, and is one of the Assessors listed.
Thanks, Alison! All resources to help folks better understand the plight of the polar bear is most appreciated!!