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The Earth could use some climate-change-fighting superheroes right about now. And according to a new comic series by the nonprofit Amplifier, there are a few real-life ones in our midst.
Thirteen of them, actually.
<p style="">On Earth Day, April 22, Amplifier released the comic art series #MyClimateHero, portraying leaders of the modern <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-science">climate justice</a> movement. <a href="https://amplifier.org/" target="_blank">Amplifier</a> is a Seattle-based art design lab that facilitates art aimed at "amplifying the voices of social change," according to its website.</p><p style="">"#MyClimateHero tells the story of modern climate leaders building unprecedented cooperation, driving action and creating space for those most impacted to share their knowledge and perspectives," said Amplifier chief of staff Tamara Power-Drutis.</p><p style="">Comic artists designed the series, which also features interviews and excerpts of the superheroes. Amplifer released all artwork for free download on its <a href="http://amplifier.org/" target="_blank">website</a>.</p><p style="">Here is a look at the series.</p><p style=""><strong>1. Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright</strong></p><p style=""><em>Social and climate justice advocate</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc1MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NTg4Mjc2N30.MYZm3Hc40y3apn_lBF_-PlGlq_ramr9GpupugQVDDsw/img.jpg?width=980" id="e0a64" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8fedd901e768a8dbca136ca24229db44" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Jeremy Packer</small></p><p style="">"Leadership in itself must come from frontline communities, which includes Native American, Black, Brown and low-wealth folk," said Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright. "Leaders and everyone in this work understand that it takes a lot of work to better understand the needs of these communities and the need to support them more. … The frontlines are also our First Line of defense in the climate fight, [and] they are and must be the foundation. The Environmental community is also realizing, albeit slowly, the need to establish the nexus between racial justice and the climate struggle, and this is a good thing."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>2. Angel Hsu</strong></p><p style=""><em>Founder and director of <a href="https://datadriven.yale.edu/" target="_blank">Data-Driven Yale</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc1Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTg4OTY2M30.A1QJDeCuzbC11Q2IVI_GUdgYiab9L2ZNjaxIpxVcXhw/img.jpg?width=980" id="e3a99" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3137fa013f0f01061f02cba5643b967f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Pia Guerra</small></p><p style="">"Modern climate heroes are needed now more than ever because climate change is worsening and accelerating," said Angel Hsu. "In my field of work, modern climate heroes are those individuals, companies, organizations and governments who take actions to slow climate change while transparently sharing what it is they are doing. We don't have a good sense, collectively, of how well policies and initiatives designed to tackle climate change are working because there is not enough available data to assess these efforts."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>3. Neil deGrasse Tyson</strong></p><p style=""><em>Director of the <a href="https://www.amnh.org/our-research/hayden-planetarium" target="_blank">Hayden Planetarium</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMTMxMjQzMH0.kVDhyhTqLKrbMUMuW1xno7qNwwuNlZG4q-tkBYs7XKU/img.jpg?width=980" id="77586" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0de16aa0ec3bb2a6448fc0f01c57e7fa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Gan Golan</small></p><p style="">"As a voter, as a citizen, scientific issues will come before you," said Neil deGrasse Tyson in the film <em>Science in America.</em>"And isn't it worth it to say, 'Alright, let me at least become scientifically literate, so that I can think about these issues and act intelligently upon them.' Recognize what science is, and allow it to be what it can and should be: in the service of civilization. It's in our hands."</p><p style=""><strong>4. Adrianna Quintero</strong></p><p style=""><em>Executive Director of <a href="http://www.vocesverdes.org/" target="_blank">Voces Verdes</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODU1MjM4NX0._rTFqRL0NerzvNYyc6gttiEQGkb_5smtK123vqvyK5U/img.jpg?width=980" id="4ad80" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="66126b43245fc5f665c727ba08ea605e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Dan Goldman</small></p><p style="">"An open and inclusive movement with people of all types working together, not because we call ourselves environmentalists, but because we have a shared vision for a healthy environment and a better future for everyone is stronger than any polluter," said Adrianna Quintero. We just need to believe in ourselves and stand strong to fight for what's right. Our future depends on it."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>5. Patricia Espinosa Cantellano</strong></p><p style=""><em>Executive secretary of the <a href="https://unfccc.int/" target="_blank">United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwOTEyMjUyM30.E4yaNnNjGsuAKMQqg_pD5046WSEgB1wEcMW21uzSVK0/img.jpg?width=980" id="6b38a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="68b3f2844c595dd4a5698a7beb7f1b5d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Pia Guerra</small></p><p style="">"When it comes to climate change, we need women at the negotiating tables, in boardrooms and as the heads of businesses, in the streets and in the fields," said Patricia Espinosa at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn on November 13, 2017. "After all, we know that gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is key to successfully meet our climate and sustainable development goals. So, it is important that we work together to make sure that women's voices are heard, but furthermore, that women are involved in making the key decisions that will lead to a better tomorrow for all."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>6. Pope Francis</strong></p><p style=""><em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pope-francis">Supreme Pontiff</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc3Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTMyNDEwN30.hlLZEITUFBFifBhKaM51SaS0vooIV4pHHUO7BqFjRXQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="bfec0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a58e03638078177052c7ace7dc754f57" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Marty Two BULLS</small></p><p style="">"Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world's poorest," said Pope Francis in the <em>Encyclical Letter Laudato Si' of the Holy Father Francis on the Care for Our Common Home,</em> published June 2015. </p><p style="">"Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded. I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all."</p><p style=""><strong>7. Jane Kleeb</strong></p><p style=""><em>Founder of <a href="http://boldalliance.org/" target="_blank">Bold Alliance</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc3Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NjI2MTAyOH0.uH0aYoTr-EmiircgOdCVLnWPGugw6Q8ieJANWxff-DQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="cc125" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c2069dab8c04da37a95d13c39524cb47" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Dan Goldman</small></p><p style="">"Environmentalists are not only living on the coasts of our country or in big cities. Ranchers, farmers, Native Americans in rural states work every day to protect the land and water for future generations," said Jane Kleeb. "Some people think those of us that live in rural communities are 'backwards,' or don't care about climate change. However, the reality is, if we don't take care of the land and protect the water, we also can't grow crops or raise cattle. Pipelines are threatening not only climate change, but the very way of life in rural and small towns."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>8. The Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.</strong></p><p style=""><em>President and CEO of the <a href="http://hiphopcaucus.org/" target="_blank">Hip Hop Caucus</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc4NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjgxMDMzN30.2VM-D1nEVEJ-ON_j1Z385I_he8ZFBCWTnVJ2xC0zoNY/img.jpg?width=980" id="2b9d0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="37996bc0cef3d93e54c7cfbba95ee3c9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Pia Guerra</small></p><p style="">"I also think of all the various efforts within the climate and environmental movement that are meant to broaden and grow the movement in numbers and diversity," said Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. for HuffPost. "And I think, all those efforts will not be as successful as they should be until there is true recognition of what it means to march for climate as a person of color, and until there are meaningful things put in place to create a multicultural movement that accounts for the different experiences we have even at the same climate march, let alone in the same country, and certainly on the same planet."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>9. Nathaniel Stinnett</strong></p><p style=""><em>Founder and executive director of the <a href="http://www.environmentalvoter.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Voter Project</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc5NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTkxMDI4M30.8zGq5n_32aXOWJvkbOYRbcbYKIU0HNXi7uYg4dG781c/img.jpg?width=980" id="2be6d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="85bd7be460e04f3b7c278ad957bc91c0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Valentine De Landro</small></p><p style="">"The environmental movement's biggest enemy is complacency," said Nathaniel Stinnett. "We already know the solutions to most of humanity's great environmental problems (even climate change), but we're not yet implementing those solutions. … Without political leadership, we're never going to address the climate crisis. And we're never going to get political leadership on climate change unless voters force it to happen. So, every environmentalist needs to vote. You can no longer care about climate change and claim that voting doesn't matter.<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>10. Rogue Scientists</strong></p><p style=""><em>Who saved environmental data</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4Nzc5Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDI3NTE5NX0.ysW-ya4wYdepd-9K75FYmxhr6qaybwphtu1mqoLNfVM/img.jpg?width=980" id="63888" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c60274f36a39d3d03a4db94eeeed020" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Valentine DeLandro</small></p><p style="">"Data Refuge launched November 2016 in Philadelphia to draw attention to how climate denial endangers federal environmental data," excerpted from the Data Refuge website. "With the help of thousands of civic partners and volunteers, the project has rapidly spread to over fifty cities and towns across the country."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>11. Paul Nicklen</strong></p><p style=""><em>Expedition lead and co-founder of <a href="https://www.sealegacy.org/" target="_blank">SeaLegacy</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4NzgwNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDgyMzgyOX0.J4qERLvdAZa_Q2Wb40fRUZghbQ1G_l9FU-3OFdwu64k/img.jpg?width=980" id="6c67b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="740554a188ede6415b7edd75870726bd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Jeremy Packer</small></p><p style="">"At SeaLegacy, and through my own platforms, we can engage with millions of people, in real time, every day," said Paul Nicklen. "That is something that was unheard of even just two years ago. With this huge distribution channel comes an even greater responsibility to merge science with art and storytelling so that we can maximize this unprecedented opportunity to make the change we need to ensure this planet is going to survive—change that the majority of people want and know is necessary."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>12. 21 Kids v. Gov</strong></p><p style=""><em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/our-childrens-trust">Juliana v. United States of America</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4NzgwNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzQxMTE3M30.9a6tWKAHPRh2qofgsyYlkApKmoql98MoqvHPM9ZDasI/img.jpg?width=980" id="d2fa2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a121799e79b56525933b821dac88efcd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Gan Golan</small></p><p style="">"I'm grateful that my fellow plaintiffs and I can have our voices heard, and that climate science can have its day in court," said Victoria Barrett, plaintiff from White Plains, New York, in a March 7, 2018 news release by Our Children's Trust. "The Trump administration tried to avoid trial, but they can't ignore us. Our future is our choice and I believe the courts will stand with our constitutional rights."<em></em></p><p style=""><strong>13. James Balog</strong></p><p style=""><em>Founder and president, <a href="http://earthvisioninstitute.org/" target="_blank">Earth Vision Institute</a> and <a href="http://jamesbalog.com/portfolio/portfolio-extreme-ice-survey/" target="_blank">Extreme Ice Survey</a></em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU4NzgwNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzcyOTQxOH0.iB56te1YX_hDwrK9Y_Vn0vyIBreYQDzGQVNObjmB7nk/img.jpg?width=980" id="f8d76" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="339cd66c46d15b598e773fd357d4ce7e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Mark5</small></p><p style="">"I have found repeatedly that no matter what somebody's preconception was about climate change, if I could get them in the room and show them in a gentle and impartial way what our team has observed in the world, they realize through their intellect and their hearts that this is real," said James Balog in an interview by Stephen Lacey for ThinkProgress. "And I've had many audiences with climate skeptics or climate deniers in the room—in many cases the majority—and I still have wound up with standing ovations from those crowds. The witnessing that we've done is powerful and it seems to inspire people to know that there are others who risk their lives and their careers for this cause."<em></em></p><p style=""><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/13-climate-justice-leaders-imagined-as-comic-superheroes-20180421" target="_blank">YES! Magazine</a>.</em></p>
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Polar Bear in Nunavut Canada. Andre Anita / iStock Photo
By Jason Bittel
Twenty years ago, polar bears made people think of Coca-Cola. Ten years ago, the bruins became the face of climate change because their melting Arctic ice habitat perfectly captured the dangers of a warming world. More recently, as a direct result of the bears' environmental poster child status, science deniers have begun using them in attempts to turn the argument for climate science on its head. But now, there's no way to talk about polar bears without talking about one particular viral video.
<p style="">You probably saw it. A bear, staggering with weakness from advanced starvation, with loose skin, wispy white fur, frothing mouth—there's no doubt that the video, captured by photographer <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/contributors/n/photographer-paul-nicklen/" target="_blank">Paul Nicklen</a> and filmmakers from the conservation group <a href="https://www.sealegacy.org/" target="_blank">Sea Legacy</a>, is a tough watch. In the <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/polar-bear-starving-arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change-spd/" target="_blank">National Geographic version</a>, the first subtitle makes the video's implications clear: "This is what climate change looks like."</p><p style="">Why? Because climate change is projected to sap the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arctic">Arctic</a> of its characteristic sea ice. And without ice, polar bears can't get to the fatty seals they've evolved to eat.</p><p style="">But is the video really the slam-dunk indictment of a warming world that it appears to be? Well, yes and no.</p>
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<p style="">"The polar bear in the image appears to be starving," said <a href="https://polarbearsinternational.org/profiles/geoff-york/" target="_blank">Geoff York</a>, senior director of conservation at <a href="https://polarbearsinternational.org/" target="_blank">Polar Bears International</a>. But York said that for this individual bear, there's no way to know exactly what's causing that starvation. The factors could range from old age or injury to disease or some other unseen complication that has prevented the bear from catching prey.<br></p><p style="">In the bigger picture, though, the message is correct, he said. "Is this what reduced survival looks like? Absolutely. Is that consistent with what we expect to see more frequently in a warming world? Yes."</p><p style="">But taking a closer look at the video reveals something different about the polar bears' food supply and its connection to climate change. <a href="https://polarbearsinternational.org/profiles/dr-andrew-derocher" target="_blank">Andrew Derocher</a>, a polar bear scientist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, noted that while the video was released as the first snows drifted across the Northeast this December, the footage was shot in the summertime. And during that season, he sees bears that look like this all the time.</p><p style="">You see, polar bears live a life opposite that of most animals—winter is their bread and butter. While some birds fly south to warmer climes and squirrels and bats log off for a few months of hibernation, the great white bears of the north take advantage of the cold and the ice it brings to feast upon every blubber-rich body they can find. Ringed seals and bearded seals make up the bulk of a polar bear's diet, and both aquatic mammals rely on sea ice for feeding, pupping, and resting. And so when summer rolls around each year and the sea ice recedes, the bears' feast turns to famine. Some starve to death as a result.</p><p style="">It's also worth noting that the bear in this video is an adult male, said Derocher, who wrote the book on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bears-Complete-Biology-Behavior/dp/1421403056" target="_blank">polar bear biology and behavior</a>. Sometimes these guys have, let's say, different priorities. Prime feeding season coincides with prime mating season, so if a male past its prime is still investing tons of time and energy into pursuing females, he might just find himself courting to the point of exhaustion. "These males walk a fine line on the energy in versus energy out equation," said Derocher.</p><p style="">In fact, York said the two most likely ways for an adult bear to die are either to get shot by a hunter or to slowly wither away to nothing. The thing is, there are generally considered to be 19 populations of polar bears scattered along the Arctic Circle. Most are exceptionally remote, and for this reason, we humans don't usually witness their death throes.</p><p style="">Now, you might think that a viral video would be good for raising awareness about the issues this species faces. And indeed, many people who might not have initially felt invested in preserving the Arctic may now be thinking about that polar bear struggling to stand up the next time someone said climate change is a hoax.</p><p>But here's the rub, as York, Derocher, and many of their fellow experts see it. Climate change is an enormous, complex problem that will affect the globe in different ways. And while we have tons of data that suggest a warmer Arctic will be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21164484" target="_blank">terrible</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501049" target="_blank">horrible</a>, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/140202/abstract" target="_blank">no good</a>, <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/349/6245/295" target="_blank">very bad news</a> for polar bears, this one anecdotal account of a starving bear is just that, anecdotal. And when you pin a single bear to a phenomenon best understood by analyzing decades of climate, sea ice, and population data, well, you paint a pretty big target for science deniers to attack.</p><p style="">And attack they have. On a blog called Polar Bear Science, zoologist Susan Crockford—whose blog, a recent <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/bix133/4644513" target="_blank">study</a> determined, is the primary source for around 80 percent of other climate denier blogs—has seized on the polar bear video as evidence that climate change is intentionally exaggerated.</p><p style="">"One starving bear is not scientific evidence that man-made global warming has already negatively affected polar bears, but it is evidence that some activists will use any ploy to advance their agenda and increase donations," <a href="https://polarbearscience.com/2017/12/09/one-starving-bear-is-not-evidence-of-climate-change-despite-gruesome-photos/" target="_blank">wrote Crockford</a>.</p><p style="">Half of her point—the part about over-extrapolating—is valid. But it would be unfortunate if that kernel of truth lent credibility to her other posts, which include snippets of studies that suggest polar bears are doing just fine. (Crockford has never studied polar bears in the field, nor published work about them in a journal; Derocher said, "She doesn't seem to understand the ecology of the species that well.")</p><p style="">One of the arguments Crockford and other deniers like to make is that polar bear populations have not yet collapsed, and that this is evidence that the bears can and will adapt to a lack of Arctic ice. And it's true that the population hovers around 25,000 to 26,000 polar bears globally, as York estimates, though the information on Russian populations isn't necessarily reliable. So it's not as if we're down to our last dozen or so polar bears, as we are with other endangered species like <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/can-military-dolphins-save-tiny-critically-endangered-porpoise" target="_blank">vaquitas</a> or <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/attwaters-prairie-chicken-dances-face-destruction" target="_blank">Attwater's prairie chickens</a>.</p><p>But the science indicates that the worst is yet to come.</p><p>The warmest year <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally" target="_blank">ever recorded</a> in the Arctic was 2016, with record-low sea ice levels to match. And even if we manage to limit climate change to 2° C (3.6° F), some experts project that the Arctic could still go completely ice-free <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-sea-ice-may-vanish-21236" target="_blank">sometime this century</a>. We're talking about conditions the likes of which haven't been seen in this region for some <a href="http://grist.org/article/let-it-go-the-arctic-will-never-be-frozen-again/" target="_blank">1,500 years</a>.</p><p style="">"All 19 populations of bears are seeing reduction in their habitat," said Derocher. Three of these have experienced marked declines, and for many others we don't have good enough data to make those assessments. But still, Derocher said there will come a point when the number of ice-free days reaches a tipping point and the populations will start to tank. Polar bears simply cannot survive without seals, said Derocher. And the only way bears can capture seals with regularity is with the aid of sea ice.</p><p style="">The trouble is that it's very difficult to predict exactly when all of this will occur. This is why Derocher and others look at the situation on a scale of the next three generations. "In that time frame, it does not look good for polar bears over the vast majority of the Arctic," he said.</p><p style="">While a few bears may be able to scrape out a living while eating a less than optimal number of seals, nothing the experts have seen indicates that polar bears can withstand these sorts of changes in the population. Down at the genetic level, the species is just too dependent on the high-fat marine mammal diet.</p><p style="">"I think that's something that's missed in the public discourse for climate scientists and for polar bear biologists. We would love to be wrong," said York. "We'd love to find something to suggest, 'Hey, everything's not as bad as we think it is.' But we've yet to find those things."</p><p style=""> Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/polar-bear-climate-changes-poster-child-ignites-controversy" target="_blank">onEarth</a>.</p>
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As World Warms, Heart-Breaking Video Shows What It Looks Like When a Polar Bear Starves
08 December 2017
Animals
By Julia Conley
A video of a starving polar bear led to calls for climate change denialists to confront the real-world effects of global warming this week. Taken by a Canadian conservationist and photographer and posted to social media, the video offered a stark visual of the drastic impacts of climate change that have already begun taking root.
<p style="">Paul Nicklen was traveling with the conservation group <a href="https://www.sealegacy.org/">Sea Legacy</a> in Canada's Baffin Islands, located in the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arctic">Arctic</a>, when he spotted the emaciated animal struggling to walk across the dry land—historically covered with ice in December and home to seals that polar bears rely on for food. The bear searched in vain for sustenance in a trashcan before collapsing.</p>
<p style="">"When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realize what it looks like," said Nicklen in an <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/polar-bear-starving-arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change-spd/" target="_blank">interview</a> with National Geographic."Bears are going to starve to death. This is what a starving bear looks like."<br></p><p style="">Nicklen received some criticism for filming the bear instead of feeding it, but he argued that sharing the image of the impact of global warming with the largest audience possible would be more productive than intervening by ending the animal's life or feeding it a small amount of food.</p><p style="">"There is no band aid solution. There was no saving this individual bear," he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcU-6PsAoIp/?hl=en&taken-by=paulnicklen" target="_blank">wrote</a> on Instagram where he originally posted the video.</p><p style="">In his interview with National Geographic, Nicklen added, "it's not like I walk around with a tranquilizer gun or 400 pounds of seal meat."</p><p style="">Polar bears have officially been considered a threatened species since 2008, under the Endangered Species Act, due to the ongoing loss of their icy habitats in Arctic regions.</p><p style="">The bears are accustomed to going without food in summer months when ice dries up, but unusually warm temperatures have caused them to fast for unhealthy periods of time and potentially starving to death.</p><p style="">The U.S. Geological Survey <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/increased-sea-ice-drift-puts-polar-bears-faster-moving-treadmill" target="_blank">reported</a> earlier this year that the increasingly rapid rate of melting sea ice in the Arctic is an existential threat to polar bears.</p><p style="">On social media, viewers of Nicklen's video called for political leaders like President Donald Trump, who has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/11/07/america-last-us-vs-entire-world-after-syria-agrees-join-paris-accord" target="_blank">refused</a> to take part in global efforts to minimize the warming of the Earth by reducing carbon emissions, to reconsider their <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/11/03/us-climate-assessment-exposes-simply-terrifying-recklessness-trump" target="_blank">climate-wrecking actions</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><p style=""><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/08/world-warms-heart-breaking-video-shows-what-it-looks-when-polar-bear-starves" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br></p>
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Paul Nicklen
By Andrea Kavanagh
World-renowned photojournalist Paul Nicklen, who has been documenting the polar regions and their native wildlife for more than 20 years, is motivated by more than the quest for a great shot.
<p>He is on a mission to generate global awareness of the changing environment and threats to wildlife in both the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arctic">Arctic</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/antarctica">Antarctic</a>, a drive he attributes to growing up among the Inuit in Canada and his early career as a marine biologist.</p><div id="43dc6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ANCKP81528389878"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTT4BneAw8d/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
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word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Pew Environment on Instagram: “HI, I’m @paulnicklen and I’m taking over today for #WorldPenguinDay. In my journey as a wildlife photojournalist, there have been countless…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>"I want my photos to document some of the most remote and stunning ecosystems on Earth and to show what's at risk if we don't protect our environment," Nicklen said.<br></p><p>He posts images to the 3.2 million followers of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paulnicklen/?hl=en" target="_blank">his popular Instagram feed</a> of the animals and people he encounters while traveling, and seizes every opportunity to explain the importance of conserving some of the <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2014/10/protecting-antarctic-krill" target="_blank">last untouched ecosystems on the planet</a>.</p><p>On <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases/2017/04/25/pew-urgency-grows-for-network-of-protected-areas-off-antarctica" target="_blank">World Penguin Day</a>, Nicklen provided stunning imagery of the iconic birds, taken during his visits to Antarctica, for a "takeover" of <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en" target="_blank">The Pew Charitable Trusts</a>' conservation-focused <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pewenvironment/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram feed</a>.</p><p>Nicklen said the key to successfully photographing animals in the wild is patience. "You can't disturb your subjects or expect a quick shot. But if you keep watching, the natural world reveals itself in all of its incredible beauty."</p><div id="fbc45" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X3M7RA1528389878"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTWjhqtAZ3l/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Pew Environment on Instagram: “I love to watch emperor penguins as they waddle across the sea ice or glide across the snow, but nothing compares to watching these birds…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>Nicklen knows from extensive firsthand experience what is at stake if conservation of the polar regions is delayed.<br></p><p>"If we lose the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-ice">sea ice</a>, we lose this ecosystem," he observed. "While photographing Antarctica over the past two decades, I've seen [the] changes." Nicklen added that the oceans can be very resilient if humans take action to protect them. The 2016 designation of the <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases/2016/10/28/pew-applauds-designation-of-the-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area" target="_blank">world's largest marine protected area</a> in the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/marine-reserve-antarctica-2067806065.html">Ross Sea</a> was a good first step. Now, he said, "we must protect more of these Antarctic ecosystems."</p><div id="61634" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4Z4ESU1528389878"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTUR_0hghOf/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Pew Environment on Instagram: “Penguins may be “flightless” birds, but when you see emperor penguins exploding out of the icy Antarctic water, they really do seem to defy…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>A full <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2017/04/a-network-of-marine-protected-areas-in-the-southern-ocean" target="_blank">network of marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean</a> would not only preserve connectivity among the many unique ecosystems in the region but also allow marine life to migrate between protected areas for breeding and foraging. Other reasons for shielding these areas from unrestrained human activity include how the circumpolar currents help sustain life well outside the region and Antarctica's role as a relatively pristine "living laboratory" for scientists studying <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>.<br></p><p>This October, two proposals for Southern Ocean marine protected areas are up for consideration during the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the management body established to protect the Southern Ocean's biodiversity. One area would protect the Weddell Sea and the other would safeguard the waters off East Antarctica. If both are designated, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources's 25 member governments would move closer to fulfilling the commitment they made in 2002 to establish a network of marine protected areas and preserve the intact and biodiverse Antarctic ecosystems for future generations.</p><p><em><a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/experts/andrea-kavanagh" target="_blank">Andrea Kavanagh</a> directs The Pew Charitable Trusts' global penguin conservation program.</em></p>
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