I have been a sucker for animals my whole life, so when it comes to them suffering, I just can’t bear it - especially when there is something that can be done to help.
About five years ago, when I saw Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and found out that polar bears were endangered, my world changed.
Realizing that these beautiful marine mammals were suffering, something came over me and I decided at that moment that I was going to help them. I was heartbroken and determined.
The great Canadian polar bear species is endangered mainly because of the loss of its sea ice habitat threatening survival tactics – which is caused by global warming.
An article in the Calgary Herald from March 2008 said the polar bears are losing weight because the breakup of sea ice shortens their seal-hunting season, forcing them to starve.
It also says drowning deaths of the bears are increasing because they have much farther to swim, and without food, they have less energy.
It irks me when people say the polar bears are going to be fine because they are built to swim for miles. Yes, they can, but that’s like saying humans are built to walk for miles. Yes we can walk far distances, but we can’t just keep walking and walking and walking.
Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases emitted by humans.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – a group of scientists formed by the United Nations – found that most of these greenhouse gases being emitted are coming from the combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles, factories and electricity production.
The IPCC also found that contributors for global warming include carbon dioxide (the most responsible), methane released from landfills and agriculture, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would consume the excess carbon dioxide.
The IPCC discovered that, since 1990, yearly gas emissions have increased by 20 per cent worldwide.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is an organization committed to stopping the degradation of the planet’s natural environment. WWF prioritizes endangered species and polar bears are currently in the spotlight.
They list polar bears as a “flagship species,” which means they are focusing on raising awareness about their endangerment and funding for broader conservation efforts.
They say there are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears left in the world.
Conservation group Defenders of Wildlife say polar bears could be officially extinct by 2050.
This is the brutal reality of global warming and polar bear endangerment.
This proven scientific phenomenon can be reduced by humans. There are numerous things that can be done to help contribute to ultimately reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Start by turning off the lights when you leave the room. You don’t need them on when you’re not in there anyways. Turn the water off in the shower while you shampoo. Use less heat – other ways can be found to keep warm. Buy energy-efficient products, carpool when you can, and plant a tree to consume some of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Most importantly, always reduce, reuse, and recycle. It will go a long way, I promise. Global warming is suffocating our Earth and if anyone wants a change, then it’s time to step up to the plate. If you don’t want it for yourself, think about your future generations.
The next time you go to throw your recyclables in the garbage, think about the starving polar bear. Think about the tired polar bear swimming for miles with no ice caps in sight. Think about the mother with no place to give birth to her cubs.
Don’t be the one to let them down.
