Polar Bear Week 2024

CHURCHILL, CANADA – October 25, 2024 – Polar Bears International (PBI), the only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to polar bears and Arctic sea ice, announces the 13th annual Polar Bear Week, occurring October 27 - November 2, 2024. This annual event aims to instill appreciation for the Arctic, raise global awareness about polar bears and their rapidly changing environment, advance coexistence initiatives, and inspire action for a sustainable future for both polar bears and people.

"Polar bears are a powerful symbol of the changes sweeping across the Arctic and the globe, with northern communities facing these climate-driven shifts firsthand," says Krista Wright, Executive Director of Polar Bears International. "As we host this year's Polar Bear Week, we're excited to share the science and beauty of the Arctic with a global audience, aiming to inspire a movement toward more sustainable societies. At the same time, we're working closely with northern communities to foster peaceful human-polar bear coexistence."

Polar Bears and Climate Change: Polar Bear Week coincides with the annual gathering of polar bears near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, who wait for Hudson Bay’s sea ice to freeze so they can return to the ice to hunt seals. Churchill, known as the polar bear capital of the world, is home to the Western Hudson Bay polar bear subpopulation, which is predicted to disappear between the 2030s and 2060s unless we meet the warming targets set at the Paris Climate Agreement. Sea ice loss due to climate change is the greatest overarching threat to polar bears, as polar bears are the “Kings of Fat”, needing the sea ice platform to catch their blubbery prey. Ultimately, the only way to protect polar bears – and maintain a livable planet for ourselves – is to greatly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the sea ice to melt.

A Critical Year for Polar Bear Science: 2024 has been marked by a remarkable number of novel polar bear reports and critical global elections. The following groundbreaking, peer-reviewed reports have been published this year:

• Scientists predict localized extinction of Hudson Bay’s polar bears if Paris Agreements are breached

• Polar bears cannot adapt to longer summers on land, according to an analysis of collar footage from Hudson Bay polar bears

• Polar bears in Canada’s high Arctic are the most vulnerable to climate change, according to genetic analysis

• There are now 20 polar bear subpopulations, according to the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group 

• Breakthrough wildlife tracking technology that adheres to fur – called “Burr on Fur” – delivers promising results from trials on wild polar bears along Hudson Bay

• Hybridization Extremely Rare Between Grizzly and Polar Bears, Study Finds

A Critical Year for Policy: Policies have an enormous impact on polar bears and the environment, and anyone can use the latest science to impact change. As Polar Bear Week occurs amidst or close to elections and events such as COP29 (The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference), Polar Bears International has created a series of Civic Engagement videos that share ways to get involved. It also invites people to become Arctic advocates through this Toolkit. 

Polar Bears and Coexistence: While climate change is the primary threat to polar bears, investment in coexistence initiatives is critical to minimize conflict between people and polar bears, securing a safer future for all. As polar bears spend longer on land due to climate-driven sea ice loss, they are having increased encounters with humans. Polar Bears International is working to protect the world’s existing polar bears through coexistence initiatives across the Arctic, including the “Wapusk Project” with Cree communities in Ontario, which focuses on community-driven conflict reduction, in partnership with the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada, and York University. In Manitoba, the town of Churchill has collaborated with Polar Bears International to become the world’s first Polar Bear Smart Community, with initiatives including:

• Bear-proof garbage bins.

• Nonlethal deterrence tools.

• Educational public outreach including a safety video and coloring books.

• Polar Bears International is supporting Churchill in a community-led Churchill Bear Smart Working Group, which includes key stakeholders from the town and province. 

• Polar Bears International is finalizing its Detect and Protect: “Bear-dar” system outside of Churchill, which uses the SpotterRF Artificial Intelligence radar system to detect approaching bears and alert communities, through day or night, snow or wind.  

How people can get involved in Polar Bear Week:

1. Watch Polar Bear Live Cams: powered by explore.org, the largest live nature network in the world, along with Polar Bears International, Frontiers North Adventures, Parks Canada, and the Churchill Northern Studies Center. There are several live cams, including some mounted on Tundra Buggies® driving around Wapusk National Park, and they offer a window into the polar bear’s world, with close-up views of moms snuggling cubs, males sparring, and young bears testing the ice along the shore. 

2. Play Polar Bear Bingo while you watch the cams!

3. Tune into Tundra Connections to chat with polar bear experts. Tundra Connections webcasts are live-streamed from Churchill to hundreds of thousands of viewers, facilitating discussions about polar bears and climate action. Highlights from the schedule include:

4. “Bear-dar,” Bangers, and Bins, Oh My - Tools for Living with Polar Bears: Tuesday, October 29th at 2 PM ET

5. All About Polar Bear Moms and Cubs: Wednesday, November 6 at 2 pm ET

6. Watch a video about the “Detect to Protect” initiative, keeping polar bears and humans safe.

7. Take Polar Bears International’s Protect Polar Bears and People fundraising challenge and invite your friends and family to get involved in a cause you are passionate about.

8. Symbolically Adopt a Polar Bear

9. Donate to Help Polar Bears and Support Coexistence Efforts. Your gift will help polar bears and people live safely with each other while also supporting PBI’s other conservation efforts across the Arctic.

As COP29 approaches, Dr. Flavio Lehner, chief climate scientist at Polar Bears International and assistant professor in Earth and Atmospheric Science at Cornell University, notes, “Only rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can halt the decline of sea ice and ensure polar bear survival. To achieve this, we must prioritize systemic changes that produce energy and goods in carbon-neutral ways.” 

Outside of Polar Bear Week, Polar Bears International focuses on conservation efforts year-round and relies on global support to make the most impact.

About Polar Bears International
Polar Bears International’s mission is to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on. The organization works to inspire people to care about the Arctic, the threats to its future, and the connection between this remote region and our global climate. Polar Bears International is the only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to wild polar bears and Arctic sea ice, and the staff includes scientists who study wild polar bears. The organization is a recognized leader in polar bear conservation. For more information, visit www.polarbearsinternational.org.

About explore.org
Founded in 2004 by Charles Annenberg Weingarten, Director and Vice President of the Annenberg Foundation, explore.org is a philanthropic multimedia organization with a mission to champion the selfless acts of others and create a portal into the natural world. With over 100 live-streaming cameras, explore.org is the largest live nature network in the world.

About Frontiers North Adventures
A certified B Corporation® and leader in sustainable travel since 1987, Frontiers North specializes in authentic adventures in Canada’s North, providing guests with the opportunity to experience the wildlife, history and culture of its people. Owners-and-operators of the official Tundra Buggy®, Frontiers North offers a variety of tour programs, the most popular being polar bears in Churchill. www.frontiersnorth.com

 Media Contacts
Annie Edwards, for Polar Bears International 
annie@fabricmedia.net
+1 503 277 3585

Melissa Hourigan, for Polar Bears International
melissa@fabricmedia.net
+1 720 608 1919

About Polar Bears International
Polar Bears International’s mission is to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on. The organization works to inspire people to care about the Arctic, the threats to its future, and the connection between this remote region and our global climate. Polar Bears International is the only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to wild polar bears and Arctic sea ice, and the staff includes scientists who study wild polar bears. The organization is a recognized leader in polar bear conservation. For more information, visit www.polarbearsinternational.org.

About explore.org
Founded in 2004 by Charles Annenberg Weingarten, Director and Vice President of the Annenberg Foundation, explore.org is a philanthropic multimedia organization with a mission to champion the selfless acts of others and create a portal into the natural world. With over 100 live-streaming cameras, explore.org is the largest live nature network in the world.

About Frontiers North Adventures
A certified B Corporation® and leader in sustainable travel since 1987, Frontiers North specializes in authentic adventures in Canada’s North, providing guests with the opportunity to experience the wildlife, history and culture of its people. Owners-and-operators of the official Tundra Buggy®, Frontiers North offers a variety of tour programs, the most popular being polar bears in Churchill. www.frontiersnorth.com

 Media Contacts
Annie Edwards, for Polar Bears International 
annie@fabricmedia.net
+1 503 277 3585

Melissa Hourigan, for Polar Bears International
melissa@fabricmedia.net
+1 720 608 1919