The polar bear is under threat from climate change. There are more than 20,000-25,000 polar bears in the Arctic, but this could change if the Arctic continues to warm at twice the rate as the rest of the world.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists the status of the polar bear as "vulnerable" on its Red List of Threatened Species.
If our great-grandchildren are to live in a world with polar bears in it, we must all take action now to reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide.
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Learn more about WWF's polar bear work around the Arctic by visiting the WWF-Canada and WWF-US polar bear websites.
Countries involved in the meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) have voted not to move polar bears to a category that would further restrict trade in the species. The decision is in accordance with the analysis by WWF that polar bears do not meet the criteria for such a move.
Iconic animal populations being decimated by habitat loss and poaching: Climate Change emerges as clear threat on WWF’s Annual Watch List.
WWF applauds the announcement of the proposed designation of key areas of polar bear habitat across Alaska by the US Department of the Interior. The requirement for the identification of 'critical habitat' was triggered by the listing of polar bears as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act in 2008.