Global warming has a strong impact on polar bear habitat. Information from climate change facts show that temperature change in the Arctic is rising faster than elsewhere. As a result the polar ice cap is shrinking steadily. Polar bears live, eat, and raise their cubs on Arctic ice, which is breaking up and melting at an alarming rate.
Even if steps are taken to reduce emissions now, gases already in the atmosphere will continue to heat up the earth for another 40 to 50 years. As the Arctic melts, the warming process feeds on itself. Much like a sealed freezer, once heat is introduced the melting process continues. Ocean water previously shielded by ice and white snow is exposed to heating from the sun.
As ice platforms dislodge and disintegrate, the polar bear's feeding, breeding, livelihood, and population are all affected. The ultimate result is extinction as the natural ecosystem is destroyed. At the present rate of global warming most of the frozen portions of the Arctic may disappear by the end of this century.