WWF - Polar Bear - Polar Bear Publications

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Polar Bear

Polar Bear Publications

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) mother and cub stands on a snow-covered landscape. Churchill, Canada. Polar bears are threatened by climate change.
© Steve Morello/WWF-US

*NEW* Climate Change Curriculum

Your Climate, Your Future: An interdisciplinary approach to incorporating climate change in your classroom: This curriculum is a series of 15 multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory lesson plans for teachers. The targeted students are those in high school, grades 9-12.

Fact Sheets

Polar Bear Fact Sheet: This icon of the north is losing ground as global warming melts its sea ice habitat (2008).
Polar Bear Facts and Fallacies: Polar Bear Listing – Dispelling Fallacies with Facts (2008).
WWF and Polar Bear Conservation: WWF has been working to protect arctic wildlife and its habitat for more than 20 years. The focus of the work has been on documenting and communicating climate change impacts in the Arctic.
Polar Bears and Sea Ice Loss: Questions and answers on polar bears and sea ice loss (October 2008).

Publications/Documents

Vanishing Kingdom: The Melting Realm of the Polar Bear: The Polar Bear – Ursus maritimus – Bear of the Sea. King of the seemingly pristine arctic realm - is subject to the ravages of global warming.
WWF-Canada: Position Statement on Polar Bears: Shows how far polar bear populations already depleted, or exhibiting signs of significant population stress due to melting sea ice habitats, any annual hunting quotas must be set at levels that allow bears to cope effectively with the cumulative stress of global warming and other pressures (May 2008).
Arctic Climate Impact Science: This report presents a wide-ranging review of arctic climate impact science published since the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) in 2005 (April 2008).
Polar Bear Crisis and Canadian Solutions: Letter to the prime minister from Mike Russill, President and CEO, WWF-Canada (April 2008).
FOCUS: U.S. Study - Polar Bears Heading Toward Extinction: A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides another sobering outlook for the fate of the world’s polar bear population as a result of climate change (January/February 2008).
Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears: A substantial reduction in the extent of the sea ice during the summer will undoubtedly have a negative impact on polar bears (February 2008).
A New Sea: The Need for a Regional Agreement on Management and Conservation of the Arctic Marine Environment: Discusses the need for a regionals agreement on management and conservation of the Arctic marine environment (January 2008).
Polar Bears in Canada: The current facts: WWF-Canada provides a brief summary of the most important facts about Canadian polar bears (January 2008).
Are Polar Bears running out of time? An analysis of the 2007 USGS reports: This paper shows results of the models used in this USGS analysis in order to predict future sea ice developments in the Arctic revealed a loss of approximately two-thirds of the world's polar bear population by mid 21st century (September 2007).
The Polar Bear of the Arctic coast of Chukotka: This methodological guide is prepared to implement the project of WWF on observations of the Polar Bear on the Arcticcoast of Chukotka (2006).
Environmental Change, Polar Bears and Adaptation in the East Kitikmeot: An Initial Assessment - Final Report: The Inuit of the East Kitikmeot communities of Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak and Gjoa Haven are observing many environmental changes in their area. Inuit experiences of these environmental changes have been documented by independent researchers in several different regions of the Canadian Arctic (November 2006).
The Big Four: A WWF update on Greenland’s efforts with regard to species conservation and nature protection (April 2005)
Polar Bears at Risk: Reductions in the extent and thickness of sea ice has lead the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group to describe climate change as one of the major threats facing polar bears today (May 2002).