From Knut Worship to Green Bears

Polar bears have quickly become synonymous with environmental awareness and global warming, thanks to a handful of the innovations below.

Polar bears are the world’s largest land-roaming predator, but are facing extinction primarily due to global warming. Melting snow caps make it increasingly difficult for polar bears to hunt the seals that comprise the majority of their diet; environmental awareness groups have used this rapidly-deteriorating habitat as one of the primary examples to inspire change.

Check out some of the ways polar bears have become such symbols of environmental awareness below.