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Polar Bears
According to a recent report made public by the officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, polar bears will disappear completely due to the devastating effects of climate change. The researchers found that the animals are dying at an alarming rate because their natural habitat is quickly melting away.
The study is part of a plan to save the polar bear and the researchers who conducted it explained that a third of them are seriously threatened by the deadly effects of greenhouse gas emission.
The sea platform, which is the polar bears’ hunting ground, is disappearing because of global warming, forcing the animals to move to the land in order to find food. The experts say the polar bears will not survive for too long on land because the food sources are very limited. It would be extremely difficult for the polar bear population to survive during the summer season with only the food they find on land.
Rebecca Noblin, a researcher at the Center for Biological Diversity, explained that there are ways that could help slow down the dying off of polar bears, but the best one that would save these animals would be to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.
The scientists analyzed the effects of the greenhouse gas emissions on the polar bear population and found that even if they’re reduced, a large number will still die.
Mike Runge, a research ecologist at U.S Geological Survey, said that in order to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions global policy solutions need to be implemented. Runge explained that carbon emissions are known to accumulate over a long period of time, which is why there will be a lag of many decades between the reduction of emissions and the recovery of the sea ice that was lost.
FWS launched Critical Habitat, a project meant to help the polar bears by relocating them to other, less threatened areas. Some of the most endangered polar bear habitats include the sea ice habitat, the terrestrial habitat where the bears make their den and the barrier island habitat.
According to the new report, in order to save the polar bears from extinction, the greenhouse gas emissions must be significantly reduced.
There are approximately 25,000 polar bears living in the wild at the moment, with more than 80% of them living in Canada. In the United States, polar bears are protected by the Endangered Species Act.
Image Source: nathab
