Polar bears will see a population crash in the Arctic Ocean if global greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rates, US Scientists claimed on Wednesday.
They further added that these gas emissions were causing accelerated melting of the sea ice, on which the bears depend for survival.
A study led by US Geological Survey (USGS) biologists showed that a worldwide failure to reduce the release of atmospheric pollutants tied to the burning of fossil fuels will likely lead to “a greatly decreased state” for polar bear populations in Alaska and elsewhere, except for an Arctic region north of Canada where summer ice is known to persist longer.
The world’s 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears, which can stand as high as 11 feet (3.35 meters) and weigh as much as 1,400 pounds (635 kg), use floating sea ice as platforms for hunting their preferred prey of ringed seals, for mating and to travel vast distances quickly and without expending crucial energy reserves on long-distance swimming, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
USGS ecologists used updated models for predicting greenhouse gas levels under a variety of scenarios in a research paper that concluded that polar bears will face severe challenges in the next several decades even if climate warming stabilizes thanks to of reductions in global emissions.
