Polar Bears at Risk of Survival

Polar Bears have been struggling to survive over the past five years. Their food is scarce, pollution is affecting their habitats and overhunting is threatening this species. They live in the harsh environments of Greenland, Norway, Alaska, Canada and Russia. With the extreme climates it is making it difficult for the polar bears to to hunt for food in order to survive.

One of the major concerns of the polar bears survival is the change in global temperature, causing their habitats to melt. They are starving to death because climate change is melting the Arctic sea ice at an alarming rate. In the past five years, summer sea ice has declined about 20% due to the warming temperatures. Even though polar bears are excellent swimmers, they cannot catch seals easily in water. The death count rises, as the bears are found drowned or starved all over the Arctic. Even their cubs are not being able to survive over a year because of the scarce food.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjHlNA2dql4

Another concern is overhunting. For example, Alaskan natives depend on hunting the bears as part of their diet. Because certain country regulations are not concise the risk of overhunting the bears left is at a threatening rate.

Environmentalists are hoping the Endangered Species Act protections will eventually provoke the government to provide a cut back of emissions of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases” blamed for global warming.

The government has decided to wait about a year before they decide to whether or not they should put polar bears on the endangered list, meaning the species is more likely to become extinct. In a year what will our world be like? Will we have caused more damage? Or will we each try to do our part to reduce global warming? Will these bears be on the endangered species list next year? ... I hope not!

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http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35524
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/297479_polarbears28.html