For decades distressed polar bears on distant ice caps were an emblem for climate change – until experts began to doubt the effectiveness of these visuals.
n a derelict hunting camp in the Baffin Islands, Northern Canada, photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen watched in horror as a polar bear took what were likely its last steps.
With mangey, discoloured fur and a gaunt frame the bear dragged its feet, taking slow and laboured movements. At one point, it paused, to scavenge for food in an abandoned barrel – chewing on the foam seat of a snowmobile, which had been burned and tossed away.
"It was so heartbreaking to watch this animal, probably in its last few minutes of life," said Mittermeier, who shot what would later become one of the decade's most viral – and controversial – polar bear images.
In December 2017, her image, and Nicklen's accompanying video footage, were published in National Geographic Magazine, overlaid with subtitles suggesting: "This is what climate change looks like". The scene in the Baffin Islands became a sensation, quickly clocking up an estimated 2.5 billion views, and fuelling a global discussion about the threat of melting ice caps and global warming.
Images of distressed polar bears clinging to ice floes or in far-flung Arctic landscapes have become instantly recognisable as emblems for the climate crisis. However, over the last decade, scientists, campaigners and news desks have begun to drift away from these visuals, questioning if they really paint a realistic image of climate change.
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Why polar bears are no longer the poster image of climate change
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(Image credit: Cristina Mittermeier/Sea Legacy)
A polar bear in the Baffin Islands, Northern Canada (Credit: Cristina Mittermeier/ Sea Legacy)
By Frankie Adkins
14th November 2023
For decades distressed polar bears on distant ice caps were an emblem for climate change – until experts began to doubt the effectiveness of these visuals.
Article continues below
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I in a derelict hunting camp in the Baffin Islands, Northern Canada, photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen watched in horror as a polar bear took what were likely its last steps.
With mangey, discoloured fur and a gaunt frame the bear dragged its feet, taking slow and laboured movements. At one point, it paused, to scavenge for food in an abandoned barrel – chewing on the foam seat of a snowmobile, which had been burned and tossed away.
"It was so heartbreaking to watch this animal, probably in its last few minutes of life," said Mittermeier, who shot what would later become one of the decade's most viral – and controversial – polar bear images.
In December 2017, her image, and Nicole's accompanying video footage, were published in National Geographic Magazine, overlaid with subtitles suggesting: "This is what climate change looks like". The scene in the Baffin Islands became a sensation, quickly clocking up an estimated 2.5 billion views, and fuelling a global discussion about the threat of melting ice caps and global warming.
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Images of distressed polar bears clinging to ice floes or in far-flung Arctic landscapes have become instantly recognisable as emblems for the climate crisis. However, over the last decade, scientists, campaigners and news desks have begun to drift away from these visuals, questioning if they really paint a realistic image of climate change.
Cristina Mattresses photo of the starved polar bears fueled a global discussion about the threat posed by climate change (Credit: Cristina Mittermeier/ Sea Legacy)
Cristina Thermometers photo of the starved polar bears fueled a global discussion about the threat posed by climate change (Credit: Cristina Mittermeier/ Sea Legacy)
Imagery that was once hauntingly attention-grabbing was criticised for being too distant, unreliable and devastating, prompting a call for more diverse representations of climate change. Popular media began to shift away from these iconic photos, opting instead for images of extreme weather, such as heatwaves, droughts and typhoons, which emphasise an issue far closer to home.
Although experts are in agreement that ice caps are melting at record rates, some have warned that images of distressed polar bears might not tell the full story.
Sea ice concentrations have declined by 13% each decade since 1979 due to increasing global temperatures. In 2023, sea ice in Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level – a benchmark that the National Snow and Ice Data Center recently termed "mind blowing".
One victim of this change are polar bears, who spend less time on sea ice, leading them to fast for longer, become thinner and have fewer cubs. But Michael Pritchard, a photo-historian at the Royal Photographic Society in the UK, warns that taking shocking polar bear photos at face value can be "problematic."
"We need to think about the context in which it was taken, how it was taken, and why it was taken. They say the photograph never lies. Well, actually, it can tell a very different story to reality," he says.
A photograph can tell a different story to reality – Michael Pritchard..
EARTH | EARTH SHOTS
Why polar bears are no longer the poster image of climate change
Share using Email
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share on Linkedin
(Image credit: Cristina Mittermeier/Sea Legacy)
A polar bear in the Baffin Islands, Northern Canada (Credit: Cristina Mittermeier/ Sea Legacy)
By Frankie Adkins
14th November 2023
For decades distressed polar bears on distant ice caps were an emblem for climate change – until experts began to doubt the effectiveness of these visuals.
Article continues below
Advertisement 📜 TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Advertisement I In a derelict hunting camp in the Baffin Islands, Northern Canada, photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen watched in horror as a polar bear took what were likely its last steps.
With mangey, discoloured fur and a gaunt frame the bear dragged its feet, taking slow and laboured movements. At one point, it paused, to scavenge for food in an abandoned barrel – chewing on the foam seat of a snowmobile, which had been burned and tossed away.
"It was so heartbreaking to watch this animal, probably in its last few minutes of life," said Mittermeier, who shot what would later become one of the decade's most viral – and controversial – polar bear images.
In December 2017, her image, and Nicole's accompanying video footage, were published in National Geographic Magazine, overlaid with subtitles suggesting: "This is what climate change looks like". The scene in the Baffin Islands became a sensation, quickly clocking up an estimated 2.5 billion views, and fuelling a global discussion about the threat of melting ice caps and global warming.
ADVERTISEMENT
Images of distressed polar bears clinging to ice floes or in far-flung Arctic landscapes have become instantly recognisable as emblems for the climate crisis. However, over the last decade, scientists, campaigners and news desks have begun to drift away from these visuals, questioning if they really paint a realistic image of climate change.
Cristina Thermometers photo of the starved polar bears fueled a global discussion about the threat posed by climate change (Credit: Cristina Mittermeier/ Sea Legacy)
Cristina Mattresses photo of the starved polar bears fueled a global discussion about the threat posed by climate change (Credit: Cristina Mittermeier/ Sea Legacy)
Imagery that was once hauntingly attention-grabbing was criticised for being too distant, unreliable and devastating, prompting a call for more diverse representations of climate change. Popular media began to shift away from these iconic photos, opting instead for images of extreme weather, such as heatwaves, droughts and typhoons, which emphasise an issue far closer to home.
Although experts are in agreement that ice caps are melting at record rates, some have warned that images of distressed polar bears might not tell the full story.
Sea ice concentrations have declined by 13% each decade since 1979 due to increasing global temperatures. In 2023, sea ice in Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level – a benchmark that the National Snow and Ice Data Center recently termed "mind blowing".
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One victim of this change are polar bears, who spend less time on sea ice, leading them to fast for longer, become thinner and have fewer cubs. But Michael Pritchard, a photo-historian at the Royal Photographic Society in the UK, warns that taking shocking polar bear photos at face value can be "problematic."
"We need to think about the context in which it was taken, how it was taken, and why it was taken. They say the photograph never lies. Well, actually, it can tell a very different story to reality," he says.
A photograph can tell a different story to reality – Michael Pritchard
In response to criticism that circled Mittermeier's starving polar bear photo, which suggested other factors such as cancer could be at play, National Geographic issued a statement to say it had "gone too far" by making the link between the dying polar bear and climate change.
In a subsequent op-ed for National Geographic, Mittermeier described how she had "lost control of the narrative" as the image went viral. However, as the co-founder of SeaLegacy, a climate campaign organisation, she reflected that she hadn't intended to make a scientific assertion, but to create a talking point.
"When scientists say polar bears are going to starve to death in the Arctic because of the loss of sea ice, this is what it's going to look like," she says. "[Polar bears] are not just a number on a spreadsheet. We were hoping that was going to have an impact on the conversation."
Similar to iconic images such as the 1972 "Napalm Girl",' which became a defining symbol of the war in Vietnam and swayed public opinion, she says striking visuals can alter the discourse.
"I really wanted this photograph to become a moment in which we stopped to recognise that climate change is an existential threat to humanity, and it starts with animals," she adds.
Paradoxical visuals..
Although polar bears may have once been shorthand for climate change, experts have argued they have lost their value as climate symbols – misrepresenting an entire species and distancing the immediate threat of climate disaster.
On the one hand, polar bear images can be a compelling tool to inspire donations from sympathetic audiences, says Pritchard. Similar to the panda, which became a beloved symbol for nature conservation and the mascot for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1961, the polar bear became a hallmark for a world people wanted to protect.
Azhar
Saffron O'Neill, an expert in climate and society at the University of Exeter in the UK, traced the saturation of polar bear images in news and popular science media. Her study indicated this was a particularly marked trend in the UK. Polar bear visuals averaged between 2% and 6% of climate visual news coverage during the period 2000–2010, with some newspapers in later years achieving over double this quantity of coverage.
O'Neill also carried out a study on 30 UK participants, who spontaneously mentioned polar bears when asked for the first images that came to mind when thinking about climate change....
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