Polar Bears in Canada’s High Arctic Are the Most Vulnerable to Climate Change, According to New Genetic Analysis

Researchers from leading institutions including Polar Bears International, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the University of Manitoba, and MacEwan University have analyzed all of Canada’s polar bear populations and found that the most northern polar bears, those in Canada’s High Arctic, are less likely to be able to adapt to a rapidly warming Arctic.

Forecasting the Future of the Arctic

When the Danish bulk carrier Nordic Orion set sail on Sept. 17, 2013, from Vancouver, British Columbia, on a journey to Finland, it set a course for a groundbreaking journey. Rather than turn south to pass through the Panama Canal, it headed north to traverse the Northwest Passage, a winding sea route through the archipelago off Canada’s north and east coasts.

Human-wildlife conflicts rising worldwide with climate change

New research shows that a warming world is increasing human-wildlife conflicts globally: Climate shifts can drive conflicts by altering animal habitats, the timing of events, wildlife behaviors and resource availability. It also showed that people are changing their behaviors and locations in response to climate change in ways that increase conflicts.