Polar bears are among the most visible victims of climate change, facing welfare harms from sea ice loss that reduces hunting success and forces longer land-based periods.
Individual polar bears facing reduced sea ice experience prolonged fasting periods that cause physiological stress, muscle wasting, and reduced immune function. Female bears entering dens in poor body condition produce less milk and smaller cubs with lower survival rates. Bears forced into human settlements in search of food face increasing human-bear conflict and lethal removal. The welfare harm is chronic and accumulating — bears that survive reproduce less successfully, compounding population decline over time.