Polar bears are the species most acutely threatened by climate change. Shrinking sea ice forces longer fasting periods, increases human conflicts, and reduces survival of cubs — creating a cascade of welfare harms.
Polar bear welfare is inseparable from Arctic climate change — no amount of direct conservation effort can compensate for the welfare harms caused by rapidly changing sea ice conditions. Extended fasting as ice retreats causes nutritional stress, body condition decline, and increased mortality, particularly for cubs and lactating females. As bears spend more time ashore, human-bear encounters increase — bears approaching human settlements are often killed as public safety measures. Orphaned cubs, whose mothers die from starvation or conflict, face near-certain death without intensive rescue intervention. The welfare of individual polar bears is a direct indicator of the health of the Arctic climate system. While rescue and management programs for problem bears provide welfare benefits at the individual level, the fundamental welfare threat requires addressing climate change at the systemic level. Polar bear welfare science provides some of the most compelling evidence of the breadth of harm caused by anthropogenic climate change.