Why it may be time to stop using the polar bear as a symbol of the climate crisis

The warming planet is causing steep declines among some of the world’s 26,000 wild polar bears, but it is not universal and the picture is complicated, say experts

The image of a polar bear stranded on a shard of melting ice has become a symbol of the climate crisis. Picture: Alfred-Wegener-Institut/Stefan Hendricks/PA Wire

Alone in the Arctic, surrounded by disappearing sea ice — few fables of the climate crisis are better known than the plight of the polar bear. 

The marine mammals are heavily dependent on sea ice for hunting, and as the Arctic warms, scientists warn they will become extinct across much of the region.