Polar bears face an existential welfare crisis as Arctic sea ice declines, forcing longer fasting periods, nutritional stress, and increasing human-wildlife conflict in ice-free seasons.
The welfare consequences of sea ice loss for polar bears are severe and worsening. Extended fasting periods cause progressive starvation — bears lose muscle mass, immune function declines, and cubs born to nutritionally depleted mothers are smaller and less likely to survive. Starvation is a prolonged, painful process for these large animals. Mothers with dependent cubs face an impossible physiological burden: nursing while fasting. Starving bears entering communities are killed as public safety threats — preventable deaths that reflect the failure of climate policy rather than individual bear behaviour. Nutritional stress also increases stress hormone levels, impairing reproduction and increasing aggression. The polar bear welfare crisis is inseparable from climate change mitigation.