To me, polar bears are one of the most majestic and awesome of all the animals to be found on this Earth. But in the Arctic, polar bears face a grim future due to climate change. Rising temperatures have caused the sea ice to melt. And this sea ice is where polar bears hunt seals. Without it, the bears have turned to other, much less abundant food sources on land such as snow geese and caribou.

According to biologist Ian Stirling:

“There is simply not enough to eat on land to support so many large bears.”

And based on this photo taken by Kerstin Langenberger, the future of the polar bear appears to be very grim indeed. As you look at this picture, keep in mind the weight and heft a polar bear is supposed to carry on its powerful frame, as shown in the photo above.

Now look at the picture below and tell me: Have we already destroyed this great animal with our own failure to do anything about climate change?

This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.