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A re-assessment of the status of polar bears by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned climate change is the “most serious threat to polar bear survival”. Effects on polar bear habitat from climate change is predicted to cause a 30% drop in their population in the next 35 – 40 years, the report says.
The thawing of Arctic sea ice due to global warming has been identified as the single biggest threat to the long-term survival of the species.
Polar bears play an important role in the livelihood of indigenous people of the Arctic, and are essential to maintaining the ecosystem balance in the Arctic region. Their population in the Arctic is now estimated to be between 22,000 and 31,000.
The polar bear is currently listed as vulnerable on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which now includes 79,837 assessed species.
Inger Anderson, Director General at The IUCN, said: “Based on the latest, most robust science, this assessment provides evidence that climate change will continue to seriously threaten polar bear survival in the future.”
He also urged the almost 200 nations attending the UN summit on climate change in Paris later this month to work together to restrict greenhouse gas emissions to slow the melt.
If you share our undying love for polar bears and you’d like to do your bit to help protect their future, you can head on over to Polar Bears International and sign a petition asking global leaders to take meaningful action on climate change.
Agencies/Canadajournal
