The survival chances of Arctic polar bears are at stake because of global warming, experts think. These animals are carnivores and rely on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean to hunt for their prey, which is mostly seals. As the ice keeps breaking up, they have no other alternative but to travel long distances on land in search of food. In fact, they have to struggle to find food for their cubs. In the words of Dr Peter Molnar of the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, they have become the "poster child of climate change." He says: "Polar bears are already sitting at the top of the world; if the ice goes, they have no place to go." In other words, they are already on the verge of extinction, A study predicts that, in due course of time, they will cease to exist.

Experts believe it is possible to reverse the trend if the world takes necessary action to tackle climate change.

The BBC says polar bears are already on the endangered species list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and scientists put the blame squarely on climate change. In their opinion, it is a key factor in their declining population. In fact, Arctic polar bears are starving because of climate change, they claim. The study has gone to the extent of putting a timeline on the worst possible scenario as 2100 – or another eight decades.

The future of polar bears is in danger

Dr. Steven Amstrup is associated with Polar Bears International. He explains that the cubs would be the first to disappear. This would be inevitable because the mothers of newborn calves would not be able to produce milk and nurture the cubs during the ice-free season. Food is a necessity for survival and bears go without food for a short period but not indefinitely.

That is a biological reality for many species. The global community, scientists urge, has to realize that the era of fossil fuels must end and alternatives must take over to give a new lease of life to the polar bears. This subject has drawn the attention of a section of the people and some countries are developing electric vehicles but such efforts have yet to gain global acceptance.

Polar bears threatened by global warming

The BBC points out that the loss of bears would vary from one region of the Arctic to another and might have already begun. Dr. Amstrup cautions: "The trajectory we're on now is not a good one, but if society gets its act together, we have time to save polar bears. And if we do, we will benefit the rest of life on Earth, including ourselves." The main point is to arrest global warming. If the greenhouse gas emissions are not checked, the world could witness a collapse in the population of the bears by 2100.

In February 2019, polar bears invaded a Russian settlement in the Arctic in search of food. Such situations could lead to man-animal conflict. Scientists call for seriousness to control CO2 emissions. This could be achieved by imposing bans on fossil fuels and encouraging Renewable Energy.

Loss of sea ice means loss of polar bears

According to Sky News, the loss of sea ice caused by global warming would have an adverse on the survival of polar bears. Once they have to live on land, they must depend on the reserves of food in their fat and lack of regular food could have a disastrous effect. These are findings of research conducted by the University of Toronto in Canada. The study mentions the need for the world to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

In the present scenario, high emissions could threaten the chances of survival of the bears. They rely on sea ice, which forms above the open waters, to reach their prey. While most of them live north of the Arctic Circle in the North Pole, some of them inhabit areas in Hudson Bay, Canada.
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