The climate crisis poses the “single most important threat” to the survival of polar bears, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests is warming the Arctic almost four times faster than the global average, melting the sea ice that provides polar bears with hunting space, breeding grounds and habitat and helps keep the rest of us cool.

“Bears don’t know all the negatives that come with plastic ingestion and the diseases and toxins they’re likely exposed to in a (landfill) setting,” Geoff York, study co-author and senior director of conservation at Polar Bears International, said.

To do its part to break this bias, EcoWatch is profiling four female scientists involved with the Polar Bear Research Council (PBRC). This body, which was founded by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 2018 with support from Polar Bears International (PBI), just released its 2022 research Masterplan last month to help understand and protect these fearsome but vulnerable Arctic predators.