Time for Nature

The threat of global warming

September 27, 2004

Wapusk National Park of Canada

Polar bear cubs ( Ursus maritimus ) following female
© Parks Canada

In southern Canada, climate change may mean a longer growing season or less-than-ideal conditions on the ski slopes, but for the polar bear , global warming is creating a crisis that threatens this great white predator's very survival.

Disappearing ice = hungry bears

Polar bears spend their winters on the Arctic ice pack eating ringed seals in order to put on as much as 200 kilograms of fat. In western Hudson Bay those energy stores must last them three and a half to four months because beyond a bit of scavenging or a few berries, the polar bears do not hunt when they are off the ice.

In recent years, researchers in Wapusk National Park of Canada have noted that as a result of climate change , the ice is breaking up two weeks earlier than in the past. That means the bears have less time to fatten up on the ice pack before they are forced onto land. This is especially critical for pregnant females. "There's a correlation between the weight of pregnant females and the survival of their cubs: cubs of fat females are more likely to survive. Those cubs are made from the fat of their mothers" says park superintendent Cam Elliott.

Churchill residents do what they can

Climate change is beyond the power of park staff to remedy. However, they continue to support research into the effects of global warming on the area's wildlife. They also work to educate visitors from all over Canada and around the world about the problem and how they can help . "Our biggest contribution is to let the world know that this is happening," says Elliott.

In the meantime, motivated by the realities they already see around them, business groups and ordinary citizens in nearby Churchill are doing what they can. By promoting energy efficiency and by recycling, they contribute to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.

The federal government is challenging all Canadians to make small, simple changes that will quickly add up about one tonne fewer emissions per person. There are plenty of practical tips available to help you reduce your own contributions to greenhouse gases by at least 20 percent.

Learning from the polar bears' plight

"We got to this point by everybody contributing a little bit to the problem. We solve the problem in the same way by everyone contributing a little to the solution" says Elliott.

Polar bear cubs ( Ursus maritimus ) and female emerging from the snow den
© Parks Canada

Note: To read the PDF version you need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.

If the Adobe download site is not accessible to you, you can download Acrobat Reader from an accessible page.

If you choose not to use Acrobat Reader you can have the PDF file converted to HTML or ASCII text by using one of the conversion services offered by Adobe.