As the ice sheets melt, we're causing problems for more species than just humanity. The residents of Tuvalu and other island nations are debating if and when they might have to abandon their homes. Polar bears are watching as their territory disappears from in front of them, with no idea how or why.
This image captures a polar bear and its cub cautiously wandering across very thin ice. Polar bears are completely dependent upon sea ice; it's their natural habitat. They walk across it to find fish and other forms of food, and they have preferred hunting spots. As the ice grows thinner, the bears can lose the walkways to their hunting spots, and worse still, their walkways to each other. That means small polar bear families are left alone and marooned, in constant peril of either drowning or starving to death because there's nowhere for them to find food.