Polar Bears need you! They are top of the food chain in the Arctic and we need to protect sea ice -polar bears and many other species need it to survive and thrive.
"Despite longer ice-free seasons, polar bears still occupy much of their original range, at least for now — a rare and hopeful truth in conservation".
This above quote is from Polar Bears International (18 November 2025) in an email. They are made up of conservationists, scientists and volunteers, all passionate about securing a future for polar bears in the Arctic. In December 2025 in an article online they say that we can stay hopeful with climate steps that make a difference.
Their work and research covers population studies so that scientists understand how bears are doing, tech innovations, human-bear co-existence, indigenous knowledge, den research, genetic studies and zoo based studies.
Polar Bears number about 26,000 now. The Polar Bear Specialist Group have all the latest gen on the status of polar bears. These professionals specialise in the research and management of polar bears throughout their range. You can see their Population Status here.
The PBSG say that the threats to polar bears are:
Climate change
Increased human activities in the Arctic
Harvest (polar bears are killed) – an area of concern
Pollution
Conflict with people
Looking to the future
The key to saving sea ice for polar bears and getting the climate back to functioning the way it should is to get away from using fossil fuels for energy all together.
Polar Bears International.
Polar Bears International say there are three things we can all do to help polar bears:
Change our energy use - involve yourself in projects in your communities to replace fossil fuels with clean energy. What's going on in your area? How can you get involved?
Build a better future - what can you do at home, at work, in school?
Promote clean transport - support projects which are aimed at reducing the number of vehicles and increase the options available to use public transport
World politicians seem hell-bent on driving an oil and gas agenda – Drill, baby, drill. You really do have to wonder how much contact with nature some of these people have had in their lives. Many politicians seem to have left the path of net zero, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t aim to reduce our carbon footprint where we can. Driving in the south of England, I see far more solar panels than I used to. For whatever reason, I think people are taking action for themselves and not leaving it to politicians to do something.
11 ways to help Polar Bears
1. Be a part of the solution - not the problem.
Review your own footprint and consider the changes you can make in your own life to reduce your impact on the environment. Many of us do this already, and it’s always worth checking to see what else you can do. What can you do to move away from using fossil fuels? Can you use renewable energy? By the way, if you want to offset your carbon, you could look at the World Land Trust's Carbon Balanced scheme for individuals and corporations.
I thought I'd share with you just some of the things we've done to try to be a part of the solution.
We got into the habit of checking how much electricity we’d used every week and then ask ourselves what we could do to reduce it (and our bill!)
We’ve gone solar for hot water – the pitch of our roof didn’t allow us to do anymore.
We use solar power (a jackery) for charging mobile phones.
We don’t heat the house, just the room we are in, and extra jumpers keep us snug.
We ask ourselves if a journey is really necessary before we take it.
Everything gets switched off at the wall when we are not using it. We never leave it on stand-by.
The washing goes on the line outside to dry, although this is harder to do in winter.
I ask myself this question: why should I give my hard earned cash to oil and gas companies when I can take a few steps and keep it for myself? Visualising this has been very effective. I imagine me holding on to my cash with glares from the oil and gas industry because they can't get it - it has really helped increase my determination to cut back and actually take action to do so. Equally, I visualise a polar bear, exhausted from swimming with no land in sight and no food insight or the reserves of energy to find it. That usually spurs me into action pretty quickly.
I've written this page to raise awareness! Please note I am not a conservationist - I am just someone who wants to help raise awareness and do something to help. I hope this page helps you help polar bears.
Fast fashion and mobile phones do not help keep earth in a healthy way. Ask yourself before you buy something, or upgrade an item: Do I really need this?
Do a digital detox periodically to get rid of stuff you’ve got online which you don’t need. It's amazing how much we store on our systems that we don't need. Free yours up with a really good detox once in a while!
Set yourself a goal!
Look at your own lifestyle to see what you can change - you can work out your carbon footprint
Set yourself a goal to reduce it.
You could also set a goal to work out what you want to do to increase your own impact on the health of the planet.
We all have our own circumstances - one person may be able to cut back in ways others can't, or another person may be able to help in ways another can't. Work out what you can do and what you are ready and willing to do - and do it! In short, come up with a plan which will work for you and be sustainable.
Bring polar bears into your heart and mind. One way to do this is to adopt one - I adopted a polar bear and just thinking of her got me taking action to reduce, reuse, recycle etc. I turned the heat down to help her. Every time I took an action to lessen my impact on the planet, I saw it as my way to care for "my" polar bear. You can watch polar bears on webcams, take part in awareness weeks, and learn about the area of the world they live in to get an idea what it's like. Get to know the Southern Beauford Sea Polar Bears! Why not pick a polar bear to track? Find out how to connect with polar bears here.
Increase your impact
It’s one thing to review what you are doing in isolation but it can leave you feeling frustrated, that you’re not really making much of an impact, and that you could do more. Be a part of something bigger and join in efforts with like-minded people who also care about this world of ours and polar bears in particular.
Even now - despite all the talk and television - many people just don't register what the threats are to the Arctic and how important it is for all our sakes to preserve it and all life there. Why are polar bears so important? Polar Bears International have three great tips for talking to people about the challenges facing polar bears – just share your concerns. Focus on what draws you together and connect those things together. Find out more
4. Be aware of the challenges facing polar bears.
Discover all about polar bears and the conservation challenges they face - there are more than we think. Pollution, disease, human-polar bear conflict, commercial activity (e.g. drilling for oil and gas), conflict with people all impact on polar bears and other life. Polar Bears International and Arctic WWF have more information so please pay them a visit. The loss of sea ice is the biggest threat to polar bears. This video shows the extent of sea ice loss in the Arctic over the last 25 years.
Every March, polar bear cubs are emerging from dens. Find out more about polar bears mums and cubs here as they prepare for that first appearance. Polar Bears International are doing maternal den research. These first days outdoors are crucial; the more we know about their behaviour and needs, the better! Polar Bears International need our support in making this research happen.
5. Increase your impact in terms of the animals you help.
Sea ice in the Arctic isn’t just about polar bears – other animals are affected as well who need sea ice to survive and thrive such as beluga whales and Arctic seals, Bowhead whales, walrus, reindeer and caribou, and the narwhal. Local people depend on the sea ice for transport. Why not see polar bears as representatives of all the animals in the Arctic? They all need the right habitat to survive and thrive. Your efforts to help polar bears can help other wildlife too! Find out more with Arctic WWF.
6.Support charities who help polar bears such as...
Greenpeace has been working hard in Australia to move companies away from fossil fuels towards greener energy. Take a look at their site - there are petitions you can sign, and actions galore to take.
Polar Bears International are working with communities to help them co-exist with polar bears, e.g. with bear friendly garbage cans, and bear proof dumpsters. You can adopt a polar bear, donate, take part in their annual awareness days and learn lots about polar bears. (27 February, 15th July and a week in November).
7. Stand up & be a voice for polar bears
Polar bears have no voice, so we all need to stand up for them and put pressure on those decision makers who could make a difference at all levels of government and also on businesses to encourage them to make the right decisions for nature, wildlife and all of us.
Environmental Action says there are about900 polar bears in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea. Please tell the Fish and Wildlife Service: Dead bear cubs shouldn’t be the price we pay for a little more oil. The petition is saying that oil companies shouldn't be allowed to disturb these magnificent animals even further.
No oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts
The National Resources Defence Council says that The Trump administration announced a dangerous proposal to expand oil and gas drilling across over a billion acres of U.S. waters off the coast of California, Florida, Alaska, and the Gulf. The Council's petition tells the Trump Administration's Department "not to open our waters to offshore drilling." Please find out more & sign this petition here.
8. Practice the art of connectivity
Actions humans take in the rainforest (cutting down trees for products we really don’t need) impact on the balance of nature. If you buy a particular product, what impact will it have on the planet? Look for products with no palm oil or sustainable palm oil which care better for our rainforests. We need our tropical and temperate rainforests, our seagrasses, our mangroves, the wetlands, peatlands, hedgerows sea ice, glorious meadows, corals, ancient woodlands, our rivers, streams, trees, plants, animals and flowers. We need them to keep the earth well. If we don't look after earth, earth cannot look after us. We need to protect them and care for them and restore them where needed.
Use nature to help!
We have hedging instead of wooden fencing and grass instead of artificial grass. Hedging helps with carbon storage, and artificial grass – well, where does it go when it’s no longer suitable for use? Can the birds peck at it, and what’s it like for dogs on hot days?
As well as rainforest (tropical and temperate), there are lots of other habitats which lock or store carbon, so helping to tackle climate change. Peatlands, hedging, meadows and seagrass all help, for instance. There’s lots of charities working to restore nature such as this to help with climate change. Why not support them and help lock in carbon?
Talk to people about climate change and what is being done to help tackle it. Polar Bears International have tips on how to do this, because it can be quite nerve racking talking to people who don’t believe in climate change or aren’t aware of the impact it has on polar bears, or who just don’t care.
For all those who don’t care, there are plenty of us who do.
Those who don’t care are unlikely to do anything. This puts those of us who do care and act in a stronger position to push forward and make an impact together.
11. Under 18?
If you're under 18, Polar Bears International have a number of things you can do to help these magnificent animals, such as in school, in your neighbourhood and more!