Polar Bear

Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are joining forces in a bold new campaign to help protect the polar bear’s Arctic home. Read more

The Obama administration’s decision to affirm Chukchi Lease Sale 193 in America’s Arctic Ocean is a clear case of politics trumping science.

Sea ice loss from climate change is causing polar bears to swim longer distances to find stable ice or to reach land, according to a new paper co-authored by a WWF expert.

WWF applauds today’s announcement of the proposed designation of key areas of polar bear habitat across Alaska by the U.S. 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.

In its final days in office, the Bush Administration has announced two substantial rule changes that would seriously undermine the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), specifically gutting key protections for polar bears, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said today.

Declining ice thickness and what is looking like the second lowest coverage on record means that Arctic sea ice may well have reached its lowest levels ever in terms of total volume, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said today. The final figures on the minimum ice coverage for this year are expected in a matter of days, but this year’s minimum figures are already flirting with last year’s record low of 1.59 million square miles.

An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water – with one at least 60 miles from shore – raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival. A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) polar bear expert said the bears could have difficulty making it safely to shore and risk drowning, particularly if a storm arises.

Climate change is destroying vital polar bear habitat, putting the species at risk of extinction, the U.S. government said today as it listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, said the government’s decision clearly indicates that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate.  

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Alaska Native and conservation groups voiced their opposition to Department of Interior’s (DOI) controversial Lease Sale 193, comprising nearly 30 million acres of pristine waters in the Chukchi Sea of Alaska. The Chukchi Sea is critical habitat for polar bears, walrus, whales, seals, and migratory birds and is experiencing some of the most rapid loss of sea ice in the world due to global warming. Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the DOI, announced its intention to sell oil and gas leases in this critical part of the Arctic Ocean on January 2. Less than one week after that announcement, a different DOI agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced it would miss a legally required January 9 deadline for making its final decision on whether to list polar bears as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Washington D.C.- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed that a decision to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect the species and its fragile Arctic environment has been plagued with delays while an oil lease sale of nearly 30 million acres of the prime polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea is scheduled for February 6 in Alaska.

Washington D.C.– Margaret Williams, WWF’s Director of the Bering Sea ecoregion program, called for urgent action to save polar bears at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing entitled “Examining Threats and Protections for the Polar Bear” on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The hearing was convened to examine the status of and legal protections for the polar bear, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the status of listing the species under the act.

WASHINGTON D.C. – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed disappointment over the announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on January 7, 2008 that it will delay by up to one month a final decision on  whether to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of Interior (DOI), issued its Final Notice of Intent for the Chukchi Lease Sale 193 opening approximately 29.7 million acres of the pristine Chukchi Sea to oil and gas activities on January 2.

Bali, Indonesia - The penguin population of Antarctica is under pressure from global warming, says WWF’s latest briefing.

Bali, Indonesia – Officials with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said landmark climate change legislation sent to the floor of the US Senate by the Environment and Public Works Committee this week will help put the US on the path towards meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Bali, Indonesia– The past year has seen yet more weather records smashed as extreme weather events take a firmer hold of the planet, says WWF.

WASHINGTON, October 16, 2007 -In the new fantasy adventure film "The Golden Compass," polar bears protect themselves with suits of armor. In the real world, threats to polar bears are not so easily abated. This majestic species is one of many in danger of extinction due to harsh changes in climate, which is why New Line Cinema has launched a unique partnership today with the World Wildlife Fund to help educate the public about the impact global warming is having on animals throughout the world.

WASHINGTON— A new report on the fate of polar bears in a world of rapid climate change predicts disaster for one of the world's most charismatic species, World Wildlife Fund said today.

WASHINGTON, December 28, 2006 - The following is a statement by World Wildlife Fund's vice president Bill Eichbaum on the release of information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to propose listing the polar bear as "threatened":

A new report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says that Arctic wildlife such as reindeer (known as caribou in North America), polar bears, ringed seals, and a host of plant species and migratory birds are all threatened by global warming and its effects -- earlier springs, loss of pack ice, and dwindling/shifting food supplies.