Climate Change and the Polar Bear
How a changing planet impacts Polar Bears
Gold Star Canadian Tours Lead Scientist, Cate Collins, discusses the complexities of climate change on Canada’s North.
“How is climate change impacting polar bears?” is one of the most common questions that our guests ask on our Expeditions to Churchill. Those joining an Expedition can expect to hear important details on how the bears are impacted during the in-flight lecture by Lead Scientist Cate Collins.
Polar Bear population estimates
There are around 22,000-31,000 polar bears alive today based on an estimate by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. There are 20 different subpopulations across the Arctic and the polar bears that we visit near Churchill are the Western Hudson Bay population. Determining the population of polar bears is incredibly challenging because of the remote and harsh environment in which they live. Scientists have been very creative in developing methods to determine their population from tagging bears to doing aerial surveys from a helicopter, but these methods are inexact. This is why we see such a large range in the population estimate.
Climate change impacts on sea ice
Each subpopulation of bears faces different challenges, but the single largest threat to the survival of polar bears is the loss of sea ice due to climate change. The polar bears rely on the sea ice to survive – it is their platform for hunting seals, mating, and traveling. For the Western Hudson Bay population, the bears spend much of the year out on the sea ice, but they come onto land on the shores of Hudson Bay during the summer when the sea ice melts. While on land, they are forced to fast as there is little to no food available to them. Due to climate change, Arctic temperatures are warming and the amount of sea ice is decreasing. The sea ice in Hudson Bay melts approximately one week earlier every decade according to researchers. This means that the polar bears are forced to spend more and more time on land and changes are being observed as a result. Adult females and sub-adult bears are impacted the most since they have the smallest fat reserves to draw from. They risk starvation during the long summer without food. Triplets are now a rare occurrence since the moms lack the body fat necessary to support three cubs. The polar bear population in the Western Hudson Bay region is also decreasing. As the climate warms, the bears will spend less time on sea ice and more time on land, and the impacts will only become more drastic.
How can you help?
The consequence of climate change on polar bears is easy to understand: they evolved to exploit a very challenging and harsh habitat and that habitat is disappearing. So, how can we help? We can all make changes in our daily lives to reduce our carbon footprint, but reducing carbon will also require leadership from government. Seeing the polar bears in the wild on one of our expeditions is lifechanging, and it often compels people to take action to help secure their future. If you are curious about how you can get started, Polar Bears International has a fantastic advocacy toolkit.
About Gold Star Canadian Tours
At Gold Star Canadian Tours, we focus on providing the worlds best travel experiences to authentically Canadian destinations. Our flagship tour is a convenient 1-day Polar Bear Expedition with dedicated non-stop charter flights from major airports directly to Churchill, Manitoba. With Gold Star Canadian Tours, the wonders of the Arctic are closer than ever. Your Adventure Awaits!
