Experts warn that we are getting closer to the extinction of polar bears due to rising temperatures. Melting ice makes it difficult for them to access food sources. Hunger in adult bears is a disaster for the survival of their generation because the mother has difficulty surviving or producing enough milk for her children.
A recent study published in Nature Climate Change predicts that without intervention, polar bear populations could completely disappear by 2100. Scientists are asking for and encouraging greater efforts to curb carbon emissions quickly so that these species do not disappear in history.
Polar bears' favorite foods are seals, whose meat serves as a source of fat that is needed to keep bears strong in the ice-filled landscape of the Arctic.
However, after all, to hunt seals, polar bears need a layer of ice that helps them hide before approaching seals.
In recent years, Arctic sea ice has melted at an unprecedented rate due to climate change. The real effect for polar bears is that they are forced to survive on land, even though there is not much food that can be consumed there.
The longer polar bears survive without food, the lower the fat reserves until finally it is not enough to support themselves, especially their offspring. It is known that currently the number of baby bears has dropped dramatically.
To get the results of this study, research leader Peter Molnar along with his colleagues, used a 'dynamic energy budget model' to determine the energy needs of polar bears and at what stage of hunger they and their offspring could die. This information is then combined with the Earth Systems Model which uses previous data to predict the amount of ice loss in the region.
The results show that the threshold will be crossed by 13 polar bear subpopulations, around 80% of their total population. Researchers predict this could lead to the extinction of the species by the end of the century.
However, when the model is run again in the medium emission scenario (RCP4.5), more subpopulations can survive, showing hope for species beyond 2100.
Even so, the results of the study still emphasize the need for urgent action on climate change to stop the melting of sea ice before pushing these creatures beyond the threshold and eventually becoming extinct.