Polar bears on climate change frontline

Not so long ago polar bears were a symbol of cold, but these days they are a symbol of warmth. In the past few weeks it has become difficult to open a newspaper or website without seeing pictures of the beautiful yellowy-white animals leaping, or lying on sea ice in the Arctic, the newly helpless emblem of climate change. The traditional threats to the polar bear — hunting, toxic waste, offshore drilling — have been overshadowed by a new one: the ice around them is melting, and we are to blame.

"The fate of the polar bear has been on our minds for several years," says Stefan Norris, head of conservation for the WWF International Arctic Programme. "The polar bear is at the very top of the food chain, and is easy to sell, and is an iconic species — but they are just an indication of what's happening to the entire Arctic ecosystem."

 

(The Hindu, 6^th   March,2007)