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Threats
Deep core tests of Arctic ice packs have shown that levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are higher now than at any time in the past 420,000 years. The result is a rapid increase in global temperature that has shocking implications. The Arctic sea ice pack is 14 per cent smaller than it was just 20 years ago - a disastrous situation for the polar bears who depend on the ice to access their food source.
 The winds, precipitation and ocean currents also bring danger to polar bears. Chemicals, pollutants and pesticides from the south are transported to the Arctic. Some of these chemicals, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), don't go away. They bioaccumulate in the Arctic food chain so that by the time they reach the top predator, the polar bear, the concentration of these toxic and very long-lived compounds reach alarming levels. Unfortunately, the bears have no natural defense against environmental degradation. Strength, size and smarts are no match for this foe.
 All Arctic wildlife and the Inuit people who live on this land are negatively affected by environmental changes. WWF plays a major role in supporting research and is leading action globally to address the major threats from POPs and climate change. Work must continue to identify causes, address and reverse the effects of climate change and chemical pollution in our planet's last great inhabited wilderness.
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Research has suggested impacts to the polar bear immune system and possibly to reproductive functions as well. In Svalbard, Norway, young polar bears have recently been found with both male and female sex organs. |
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