Scientists warn polar bears could become nearly extinct by end of century

Nearly all of the major subpopulations of polar bears are now in danger of severe declines in population due to melting sea ice, scientists say.

A study published Monday at Nature.com found that 18 out of the 19 subpopulations of polar bears face major habitat loss due to declining levels of summer sea ice, which forces the bears onto land and farther away from food sources.

Just one population of bears located deep in the Arctic is thought to be not in danger, according to the study, of facing population decline if greenhouse gas emissions continue on course until 2100.

The study “suggests that, with high greenhouse gas emissions, steeply declining reproduction and survival will jeopardize the persistence of all but a few high-Arctic subpopulations by 2100. Moderate emissions mitigation prolongs persistence but is unlikely to prevent some subpopulation extirpations within this century,” the researchers wrote in the study’s abstract.

Peter Molnar, a scientist at the University of Toronto Scarborough, told The New York Times that such population decline would likely lead to near-extinction of the species. Polar bears are one of the most iconic and well-known bear species due to their white fur coloring and size.

“There is very little chance that polar bears would persist anywhere in the world, except perhaps in the very high Arctic in one small subpopulation,” Molnar told the Times.

Failure to reduce emissions so far has already led to conditions that will endanger many bear populations, he added.

“We still are unfortunately going to lose some, especially some of the southernmost populations, to sea-ice loss,” Molnar told the Times.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, announced last week that he would support a plan that would totally decarbonize the U.S. power grid by 2035, as well as a pledge to cut the carbon footprint of buildings across the country and the creation of a new climate change agency.