Transcript for Navigating coexistence with polar bears amid climate change
TONIGHT ♪
>>> MICHAEL IS OUT THERE SAVING
THE POLAR BEARS IN MANITOBA,
CANADA.
BACK TO HIM.
HEY, MICHAEL.
>> Reporter: HEY, GEORGE.
I AM STANDING IN ONE OF THESE
SOUTHERNMOST HOMES OF THE POLAR
BEAR AND YOU REALLY FEEL SMALL
WHEN YOU'RE OUT HERE COMPARED TO
THE VASTNESS OF THE CLIMATE HERE
AND THE WILDERNESS THAT IS
AROUND US AND I'D LIKE TO
INTRODUCE YOU TO TWO RESEARCHERS
WHO GET TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME
OUT HERE.
POLAR BEAR INTERNATIONAL'S CHIEF
SCIENTIST DR. STEVEN AMSTRUP AND
THEIR DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION
AND STAFF SCIENTIST ALYSA
McCALL.
YOU BOTH MAKE IT LOOK EASY TO
STAND OUT HERE.
YOU BOTH LOOK SO NATURAL OUT
HERE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT BUT,
ALYSA, WE'RE HERE TALKING ABOUT
SAVING THE POLAR BEARS, BUT YOU
SAY IT'S ABOUT -- IT'S MORE THAN
THAT.
IT'S ABOUT SAVING THE POLAR BEAR
BUT IT'S REALLY SAVING
OURSELVES, AS WELL.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT?
TOTALLY.
AS THE POLAR BEAR IS LOSING
ACCESS TO ITS HOME, PEOPLE ARE
LOSING ACCESS TO THEIR HOMES SO
THE DECISIONS WE'RE MAKING TODAY
FOR OUR FUTURE DETERMINE WHAT
IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE DOWN THE
ROAD FOR POLAR BEARS, FOR US,
OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN.
>> SO IN ORDER TO HELP SAVE THE
POLAR BEARS, WHAT CAN PEOPLE AT
HOME DO?
WHAT CAN THE REGULAR PERSON AT
HOME DO TO HELP THE CAUSE?
>> YEAH, THE GOOD NEWS IS WE
KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, TOO
MANY CARBON EMISSIONS SO HAVE
THE SOLUTION SO WE CAN USE OUR
VOTES TO VOTE FOR LEADERS WHO
CARE ABOUT A CLEANER FUTURE,
VOTE WITH YOUR MONEY, SUPPORT
SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES AND THEN
USE YOUR VOICE, TALK ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE OR POLAR BEARS OR
JUST WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT AND
WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE
WORLD AND THOSE CONVERSATIONS
CAN SHAPE SOCIETIES AND WE CAN
MAKE THE CHANGES WE NEED FOR
POLAR BEARS AND FOR OURSELVES.
>> CONVERSATIONS ARE VERY
IMPORTANT AND I KNOW, STEVE, FOR
YOU, YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING POLAR
BEARS FOR OVER FOUR DECADES.
I MEAN, REALLY YOU'RE LIKE ONE
OF 9 MOST FOREMOST SCIENTISTS ON
POLAR BEARS.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES
YOU'VE SEEN?
>> I SAW IN MY CAREER I SAW THE
ARCTIC OCEAN NORTH OF THE ALASKA
COAST GO FROM SEA ICE AS FAR AS
YOU COULD SEE TO OPEN WATER AS
FAR AS YOU CAN SEE AND HERE IN
WESTERN HUDSON BAY, WE'VE SEEN
ALMOST 30 DAY LONGER ICE FREEZE
SEASON.
POLAR BEARS DEPEND ON THE ICE TO
CATCH THEIR PREY SO WHAT THE
RESULT HAS BEEN IS THINNER
FEMALES THAT CAN'T NURSE THEIR
CUBS, AS WELL AND MORE STARVING
CUBS.
>> FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE THEY SAY,
OKAY, THAT'S ALL GOOD AND FINE
BUT WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO
SAVE THE POLAR BEAR?
EXPLAIN THAT.
>> EVERYTHING IN NATURE IS
CONNECTED.
AND THE POLAR ICE UP HERE HELPS
REGULATE THE CLIMATE, YOU KNOW,
LOWER LATITUDES TO KEEP IT AT
THE LEVEL THAT WE HAVE BECOME
ACCUSTOMED TO AND WHICH HUMANS
HAVE FLOURISHED.
IF WE SAVE POLAR BEARS WE'LL
BENEFIT THE REST OF LIFE ON
EARTH INCLUDING OURSELVES.
REALLY SAVING POLAR BEARS IS
SAVING OURSELVES.
>> SAVING POLAR BEARS IS SAVING
OURSELVES AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN
UP HERE.
WE'VE BEEN OUT.
WE'VE SEEN POLAR BEARS AND SEEN
MOTHERS AND CUBS AND I THINK
SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT THE MOTHER
HAD THREE CUBS AT ONE POINT AND
NOW SHE'S DOWN TO TWO SO ARE THE
YOUNGER POLAR BEARS, ARE THEY
GIVEN A FAIR CHANCE TO SURVIVE
NOW WITH THE WAY EVERYTHING IS
GOING.
>> IT'S ROUGHER AND ROUGHER.
THE RATE OF CUB SURVIVAL THROUGH
THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS OF
LIFE IS MUCH LOWER THAN IT USED
TO BE AND, OF COURSE, IF CUBS
AREN'T ENTERING THE POPULATION,
ULTIMATELY THE POPULATION
DECLINES AND IT HAS DECLINED
HERE BY ABOUT 30%.
>> 30% AND HOW MANY POLAR BEARS
ARE THERE IN THIS AREA?
>> RIGHT NOW THERE'S BETWEEN
ABOUT 800 TO 90 POLAR BEARS.
>> AND THIS USED TO BE A LOT
MORE, I IMAGINE.
>> IN THE LATE '80s, EARLY '90s
IT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT
1200.
>> SO A QUARTER.
OH, MAN, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD
WE CAME UP TO DO THIS.
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED POLAR BEARS.
SOMETHING ABOUT THEM HAS ALWAYS
PIQUED MY INTEREST AND TO SEE
HOW THE ECOSYSTEM THEY LIVE IN
AFFECTS OURS AND OURS AFFECTS
THEIRS IN A WAY WHAT WE NEED TO
GET OUR STUFF TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME OUT
HERE IN THE COLD.
>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR COMING.
WE REALLY APPRECIATED HAVING YOU
HERE.
>> NO, I APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH.
YOU GUYS, THIS HAS BEEN LIKE I
SAID THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME AND
I'LL GLADLY COME BACK OUT HERE
TO -- IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT
DEVELOPS WITH THE POLAR BEARS I
WILL BE OUT TO COVER IT BECAUSE
THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING,
AMAZING TIME.
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT
EVERYBODY SHOULD LEARN ABOUT AND
THAT WE DEFINITELY WANTED TO
SHARE AT "GMA" WITH OUR AUDIENCE
ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT OUR
ECOSYSTEM IS TO OUR LIVES, AS
WELL, AND NOT JUST TO THE
ANIMALS WE THINK HAVE TO LIVE IN
OUR WORLD.
WE HAVE TO LIVE IN THEIRS ALSO.
>> THEY SAY EVERYTHING IN NATURE
IS
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