Polar bears are threatened by climate change
Scientists are shocked to see a picture of a polar bear in the remote Arctic region. A photo shortlisted for the 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year award depicts a polar bear with plastic in its mouth.
The photo of the polar bear was taken from the remote Kiepert Island in the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic. Kiepert Island is located near Norway. A nature-loving photographer named Celia Kujala took this photo of a bear caught in a plastic mouth.
The scientific name of the polar bear is Ursus maritimus. The polar bear photo shows how plastic pollution is affecting animals in remote Arctic areas.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the polar bear is on the red list of endangered species. It is predicted that by the middle of this century, the number of polar bears will decrease by about 30 percent.
The Arctic Council says that abandoned fishing nets with plastic bags are found in remote, uninhabited areas of the Arctic.
Land mammals such as polar bears, fish, marine mammals and reindeer are trapped in these abandoned nets. Abandoned waste also acts as a plastic raft, which helps invasive species travel.
Currently, polar bears are under threat due to climate change. Apart from being unable to hunt due to melting sea ice, they are also at risk due to plastic waste in the Arctic. As a result, many polar bears are moving inland in search of food.
Analyzing the stomachs of several polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea in Alaska and Canada has found plastic.
John Whiteman, Chief Scientist of the Polar Bears International, stated that polar bears are more likely to eat plastic when they come across human waste. The polar bear’s lifestyle is slowly changing due to the loss of sea ice.
