Hobbies And Interests
Reduced Ice
Researchers from the University of Alberta have indicated that an increased loss of ice will have a seriously negative impact on polar bear reproduction. Receding and melting ice hinders the hunting efforts of female polar bears, who rely on storing that energy during hibernation. Calculations show that if the ice disappears two months earlier prior to autumn and winter than it did in the 1990s, there is between a 55 and 100 percent chance that no cubs will be born.
Reduced Genitals
Wildlife veterinarian Christian Sonne, from the National Environmental Research Institute of Denmark, indicates that polar bears from east Greenland, northernmost Norway and western Russia rank among the most polluted Arctic animals. These animals carry extremely high levels of industrial pollutants, which are causing their genitals and ovaries to decrease in size. Polar bears are hunting and feeding on bearded and ringed seals, which have accumulated organic pollutants in their blubber. These organic pollutants, termed organohalogens, are made up principally of chlorine. Polar bears already have a particularly low reproductive rate that will be further affected by a reduction in genital size.
Impaired Neurological Development
Chemical contaminants such as polyfluoroalkyl compounds, which are used as water-repellent coatings, and polybrominated diphenyl, which is a brominated flame retardant, are emerging in the Arctic food chain and are finding their way into the system of polar bears. These chemical contaminants are believed to negatively affect both the neurological developmental and reproductive systems of polar bears.
Melting Ice
The International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that electronic devices such as cell phones, MP3 players and flat-screen TVs will soon triple our current energy consumption. Greenhouse gas emissions from electronic devices produce in the region of 500 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. This, in addition to the greenhouse effect, is contributing to the melting of Arctic ice, which is preventing polar bear females from feeding sufficiently before they go into hibernation. Despite the rate at which consumer electronics is growing, there are minimal policies in place to control energy efficiency. The IEA estimates that at the current rate, approximately 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide will be produced per annum by 2030.