Myth: Polar bear numbers have increased, not fallen

Over the past 50 years, polar bear numbers have increased from 5,000 to 30,000, so they are not under threat from global warming. 

Fact:

Polar bear numbers have indeed increased, but only because hunting was banned in the 1960s and 70s. However, about 70 percent of Arctic sea ice has disappeared over the past 35 years, threatening the bears’ habitat. In some regions the bears are still doing well, but in others they are under threat. If global warming continues, they will largely be extinct in the wild by 2100.