Protective custody

Polar bear, Singapore zoo.

Scientists estimate polar bears will be extinct in the wild by 2070 due to global warming and ice cover thinning progressively in the arctic every winter.
The number of polar bears dying due to starvation (some even drown due to exhaustion) increases every year.

For all the people who still don't 'believe' in global warming, look no further than this animal in the wild.

As depressing as it sounds, a lot of us will probably live to see the polar bear turn extinct in the wild.

2070 may seem like a long time away, but the rate at which we humans spew hazardous materials and greenhouse gases into the environment definitely doesn't help the situation

I wonder how many animals we will cause the extinction of, either through inaction or through our persistent assault on the environment.
I never thought I'd live to see the day that Indian vultures, those great garbagemen of the sky, fall to 5% of their numbers within just a few years.

Maybe you never thought you'd live to see polar bear populations dwindle either. You probably will. You'll probably tell your son, or your daughter, or your nephew or your niece that the bears they see in zoos are only found in zoos anymore.

If that sounds unrealistic, take a closer look around you. It isn't that far-fetched. Scientists even estimate that we'll be out of fresh water by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions aren't held in check. Fresh water springs are drying up and glaciers are thinning.

Don't we realise (even those who might not care) that it's only going to come back and slap us in the face?