Global warming will soon make white bears extinct – expert

MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) – Yury Neyelov, a member of the Arctic Council, former governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, and a senator, believes white bears may become extinct in 30-50 years.

“The situation with the population of white bears currently causes serious concerns without exaggeration. According to the World Wildlife Fund, white bears may stop reproducing in 2-3 years, which will lead to their extinction, and the main problem is not the lack of food for them, but global warming,” Neyelov said.

Neyelov said the protest organized by Greenpeace in the Moskva river in defense of the Arctic and white bears entitled Arctic Doesn’t Give Up is not an April 1 joke.

There are currently not more than 25,000 white bears in the world. “It will be an irreplaceable loss to mankind and to our successors if white bears become extinct, and our grandchildren will know about them only from books and films,” Neyelov said.

Neyelov recalled that global warming poses deadly risks to white bears. “It destroys their natural habitat, Arctic ice is melting rapidly. Hunting, in particular, poaching, also plays a negative role,” he said.

Several dozens of white bears are believed to be killed in Chukotka alone every year. According to Neyelov, the number of white bears went down by more than 30% in the past 45 years, which is due to the decrease of their natural habitat.

“This tragedy can only be prevented by adopting legislative norms at an international level. It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the fact that the extinction of the white bear will do irreparable damage not only to the nature of the Arctic and the culture of indigenous peoples, but world culture in general,” Neyelov said.