Polar Bears May Die Off Unless Global Warming Is Reversed, Report Says

Polar bears are at risk of dying off if humans don’t reverse the trend of global warming, a blunt U.S. government report filed Thursday said.

“The single most important step for polar bear conservation is decisive action to address Arctic warming,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a draft recovery plan, part of the process after the agency listed the species as threatened in 2008.

“Short of action that effectively addresses the primary cause of diminishing sea ice, it is unlikely that polar bears will be recovered.”

Halting Arctic warming will require global action, the report said.  Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming, which is reducing the Arctic’s amount of summer sea ice.

Polar bears use sea ice for feeding, mating and giving birth.  The Office of Naval Research said the past eight years have had the eight lowest amounts of summer sea ice on record.

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