Biodiversity crisis revealed through polar bears

What’s Happening?

A study published in the scientific journal PLOS One compared blood samples of polar bears in the Chukchi Sea from 1987 to 1994 with ones from 2008 to 2017 to unearth clues about the changing climate’s impact.

Results

The results confirmed the researchers’ fears. The blood samples of the 2008-2017 cohort showed that polar bears had considerably more exposure to viruses, bacteria, or parasites.

Why Is Polar Bears’ Increased Land Use Concerning?

Polar bears venturing more to the land comes with a number of risks for them, their ecosystem, and humans. This includes:

• Exposure to dangerous pollutants like plastic

• Health risks from increased interactions with humans

• Possible links between pathogens and aggressive behavior

What’s Being Done to Protect Polar Bears?

The biggest thing that can be done to protect polar bears is slowing the melting of ice that pushes them further and further inland and fosters exposure to new diseases. This can be achieved by:

• Shifting to clean energy sources like wind and solar

• Holding countries and companies accountable to climate goals

• Reducing reliance on dirty energy

Key Points

• Polar bears have been facing new survival challenges in recent years due to melting ice and increased exposure to plastic pollution.

• The study found that polar bears had considerably more exposure to viruses, bacteria, or parasites in their blood samples from 2008-2017 compared to 1987-1994.

• Wildlife biologist Karyn Rose of the U.S. Geological Survey stated that “bears are pretty robust to disease,” but cautioned that the study demonstrates “things are changing.”

• The first recorded case of a polar bear dying due to bird flu was reported in Alaska this year.