Polar bear could be saved if emissions are cut, says new study
Ice caps not likely to face rapid, irreversible melting as previously thought, researcher claims – meaning polar bears could surviveThe polar bear can be saved from extinction – but only if action is taken quickly to make deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, a new study shows.The study, published today in journal Nature, conflicts with previous research, which suggested that Arctic temperatures are already on track to exceed the threshold required to trigger rapid, irreversible ice loss.Researchers from Polar Bears International said sea ice in the Arctic, which polar bears use as a platform on which to hunt seals and breed, is unlikely to undergo a rapid and irreversible decline when temperatures rise beyond a certain threshold."It's widely believed that nothing can be done to save the polar bear," said author Steven Amstrup of Polar Bears International in Winnipeg, Canada. "But that's not true."According to Andrew Derocher, a polar bear...
Read the whole article on The Guardian - Science
More from The Guardian - Science
Related
- With climate changes, polar bear and brown bear lineages intertwineThu, 7 Jul 2011, 12:37:49 EDT
- Polar bears: On thin ice? Extinction can be averted, scientists sayWed, 15 Dec 2010, 15:32:44 EST
- Ancestry of polar bears traced to IrelandThu, 7 Jul 2011, 12:37:59 EDT
- Polar bear births could plummet with climate changeTue, 8 Feb 2011, 12:05:22 EST
- Polar bears no longer on 'thin ice': researchers say polar bears could face brighter futureTue, 21 Dec 2010, 15:02:32 EST