Polar bear populations could disappear from Arctic by 2100 as ice caps melt, scientists warn

Even with considerable emissions cuts some populations of bears could be lost this century, explain Harry Cockburn

Bears on an Island in the Beaufort Sea of Northern Alaska. As sea ice melts bears are increasingly forced onto land making hunting for seals almost impossible (Getty )

Unless radical action to tackle the climate crisis begins in earnest, most of the Arctic’s polar bear population could be wiped out by the year 2100, scientists have warned.

The main threat to the bears is the rapid melting of sea ice, upon which they depend for reaching the seals that make up an essential part of their diet.

Arctic sea ice grows in extent in winter and shrinks in summer, but overall it is declining at a rate of 12.85 percent per decade, with the 10 lowest ice extents all recorded since 2007.