Polar bears on the front line of war on climate change

This polar bear on pack ice in the Arctic circle is feeling the heat well before we will. Although the average global increase in temperature in the last 50 years has been around 0.5 degrees celsius, in the Arctic circle it has been 2-3 degrees C. This dramatic rise has led some scientists to predict the complete disappearance of summer ice in the Arctic before the end of the century. Since polar bears use the sea ice to hunt for prey, this will spell disaster for the world's largest terrestrial carnivore. Polar bears could become extinct in the wild within a hundred years if the current trend in global warming persists.


Image source: WWF website (WWF-Canon / Jack Stein GROVE)