Polar Bears Essay

851 Words2 Pages

As the weather is up and down, cold one day and then extremely hot the next, no matter the short changed in weather, climate is a huge deal breaker for the future of the polar bear. Are humans responsible for the future of the big white bears that roam around on ice all day trying to survive? Maybe we are, maybe we are not, but polar bears are diminishing due to fluctuating environmental changes, gas and oil activities like drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, and their survival rate is decreasing as a result of starvation. Climate change has been one of the top leading causes of sea ice loss. According to Polar Bear International a study found from satellite pictures starting from the 1900s to now show major sea ice loss. Our greenhouse gases are affecting the polar bears habitat they breed and live off. When the weathers warmer, the ice melts. The loss of ice causes polar bears to prey on land. Some are left in the ocean trying to find ice and subsequently end up drowning. Another study found Polar Bears International reported that in the summer of 2012 loss of sea ice was at the lowest and broke all previous records. As a result of ice loss, female polar bears are pushed to their limits and have no other choice than to den on land rather than their natural habitat on ice. This leads to different food for polar bears to prey on. Climate change is already a big factor for diminishing polar bears, but another huge cause is gas and oil activities in their own habitat. When oil spills are present in the Ocean near polar bear populations it takes months to almost years to clean up the spill. If oil is on their coats, they cannot regulate their own body temperatures, making them almost freeze to death (Fueling Extinction). With spills it... ... middle of paper ... ...ges and the data is lacking. (Mustain, “Polarizing Debate: Polar Bear Status Roils Alaska). While some may be so-called increasing, according to the Polar Bear Specialist Group reported that the last time polar bears were recorded as increasing was in the 1950s and 1960s. That wasn’t even scientifically recorded, that was an estimated number that was written down by polar bear hunters. Thus leaving us with no other choice than to accept that polar bears are decreasing. For now, all we know is our footprints are leaving a mark behind us, and it is affecting the polar bears who might not make it much longer unless something is changed. The roller coaster climates, oil and gas activities in the ocean around polar bear populations, and polar bears doing all they can to survive. Humans are responsible for what the future holds for the beautiful white fluffy polar bear.

Open Document