Polar bears face an existential welfare crisis from Arctic sea ice loss driven by climate change. Understanding their welfare needs illuminates both conservation priorities and the welfare of individual bears in a changing environment.
Polar bear welfare represents the intersection of climate change, individual animal suffering, and conservation at its starkest. Individual bears experiencing starvation from ice loss suffer acute and chronic hunger, nutritional stress, and physiological deterioration. Cubs born to malnourished females have reduced survival rates. The welfare of individual bears in communities increasingly conflicts with human safety as hungry bears seek anthropogenic food sources. Lethal management of problem bears represents a welfare and conservation loss that stems directly from climate-driven habitat degradation. Addressing polar bear welfare requires addressing its root cause: reducing greenhouse gas emissions to preserve Arctic sea ice.