Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by 2050

September 7, 2007
Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by 2050

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 — Two-thirds of the world´s polar bears will disappear by 2050, even under moderate projections for shrinking summer sea ice caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, government scientists reported on Friday.

The finding is part of a yearlong review of the effects of climate and ice changes on polar bears to help determine whether they should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists estimate the current polar bear population at 22,000.