On July 20, Nature Climate Change published an article claiming that Polar bears require sea ice to capture seals and are expected to decline range-wide or even be wiped out as global warming and sea-ice loss continue.

Scientists say some populations have already reached their survival limits as the Arctic sea ice shrinks. As the ice breaks up, the animals are forced to roam for long distances or on to shore, where they struggle to find food and feed their cubs.

Polar bears are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with climate change a key factor in their decline.