Polar Bears on Thin Ice

They’re faster than Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt.

As majestic as any creature on Earth, with their glorious white fur.

Able to cross the 3,000-plus miles of the Arctic ice cap in a single season — as long as the ice cap is there.

Now the ice cap’s in trouble, and so is the polar bear. Defenders have warned it could be gone in a generation. Just a story we tell our grandkids.

As the Copenhagen climate talks stumble, that fear only grows.

This hour, On Point: a natural history of the polar bear, and the future the great white bear of the North is facing right now.

You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, and on Facebook.Guests:

Juliet Eilperin, national environmental correspondent for The Washington Post reporting from Copenhagen.

Richard Ellis, author of "On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear" and a dozen other books relating to the marine world, including "Tuna: A Love Story" and "The Empty Ocean."
You can read the introduction to "On Thin Ice" at Amazon.com. Also see "Top Ten Facts About Polar Bears" drawn from the book.