What will happen to polar bears if climate changes and the earth become warmer?

Answer 1

More than likely, change their habits to resemble that of their close relative, the brown bear. The is evidence of polar bears feeding at garbage dumps and eating grass when temps warmed in the 80s.

Answer 2

There are two possibilities.

The first possibility is that the remaining polar bears will cling onto the last known areas of ice caps. They would then eventually drown or starve and become extinct as those last ice caps disappear and food sources (seals) run out. It is theorised that this is how the woolly mammoth became extinct.

The second possibility is that they will learn to adapt. Polar bears may begin to migrate south, deeper into Canada, Alaska and Siberia, closer to human civilisation. Polar bears are closely related to Kodiak bears (also known as brown bears or grizzly bears) and will likely copy their habits of hunting in forests and seeking out human food waste in populated areas. Since polar bears are not as used to humans as brown bears, however, the number of polar bear attacks against humans will rise rapidly.



In this scenario, it would also be possible that human conservation efforts will increase. For example, wild polar bears may be forcibly removed from their dwindling ice caps by humans and moved to a new home, in order to try and save them.

Some zoos across the globe have already begun enforcing specialist polar bear breeding and egg/sperm storing programs for the future.

Some conservation groups are also trying to plant forests in icy regions in order to try and protect at least some icy areas so polar bears still have a home, if the worst case scenario should occur. Click here for more information on one such project.