“When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realize what it looks like,” says photographer, Paul Nicklen, from National Geographic. Last week a video of a starving polar bear, struggling for its life, took the internet by storm. Bones protruded through the animal’s fur as it dug through a dumpster, trying to find any available scrap of food.
According to NASA, “The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.”
Melting sea ice continues to make it harder for polar bears to find food. Polar bears largest source of food are seals. The globe is getting warmer and this is causing glacial ice to melt. These type of conditions are going to contribute to the extinction of polar bears. Ninety seven percent of climate scientists believe that warming trends over the past century are due to human activities. How much of the world can we damage, before there is nothing left for us to ruin?
It’s December 18 and we have seen snowfall once this year. This snow barely even stuck to the ground before it turned into muddy puddles. It’s not a matter of whether climate change is real but instead what we can do to prevent it. We are destroying our world day by day, then act surprised when repercussions like tragedies to animals occur.
“The only way polar bears can be saved is by reducing our global carbon footprint and finding renewable energy,” Nicklen said. There are many steps we can take to improve our environment. Buy energy efficient products, conserve energy at home reduce, reuse and recycle. Instead of driving everywhere, consider walking, biking, or mass transportation. Since, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that over half of the air pollution is caused by mobile sources, fuel efficient cars are the best option for the environment. Cars emit carbon dioxide which is very damaging to the environment.
Unless we want to see more wildlife struggling to survive in our word, something needs to be done. The environment is paying the price for our careless actions. As Doctor Seuss once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
