Polar Bears Will Be Extinct Sooner Than Previously Thought And Humans Are To Blame

Polar bears will soon be extinct due to global warming, according to a recently released government report.

According to the report, which is part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's recovery plan for the polar bear, approximately a third of all polar bears could face imminent danger from greenhouse gas emissions in as little as 10 years.

"Polar bears are in big trouble," said Rebecca Noblin, Alaska director for the Center for Biological Diversity. "There are other steps we can take to slow the decline of polar bears, but in the long run, the only way to save polar bears in the Arctic is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Due to the heating up of Arctic waters, sea ice disappear, forcing the bears to retreat to land to find food. According to researchers, food sources on land are limited and will bot be able to sustain polar bear populations in summer months when ice is gone.

The study's lead author, Todd Atwood, describes other threats such as trans-Arctic shipping, oil and gas exploration, and disease and contaminants as having "only negligible effects on polar bear populations."

Researchers underscored that even if emissions are reduced, all polar bear populations will decrease.

The recovery plan identifies a "suite of high-priority actions to be taken in the near- and mid-term in the United States that will contribute to the survival of polar bears, so they are in a position to recover once Arctic warming has been abated," according to Jennifer Kohout, regional program manager and co-chair of the polar bear recovery team at the US Fish and Wildlife Service.