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November 13, 2008

Life Preservers for Polar Bears On Sinking Arctic Ice

by Mike Chino

global warming, polar bear lifevest, polar bear life preserver, environmental art, social commentary, green design, sustainable design, wildlife preservation

As the climate crisis mounts and Arctic icebergs slip away, polar bears are suffering starvation, population declines, and drowning as they must swim further and further to find food. Seeking to raise awareness for the endangered species’ plight, ADDI Concepts has taken wildlife preservation literally by designing a life-vest for displaced polar bears struggling to stay afloat as their homes sink into the sea.

global warming, polar bear lifevest, polar bear life preserver, environmental art, social commentary, green design, sustainable design, wildlife preservation

Polar bears are facing a bleak future as Arctic icebergs continue to melt and ancient shelfs of ice collapse. The species inhabits only the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding areas, and they and can hunt consistently only from sea ice. ADDI Concepts conceived of their polar bear life jackets not as a solution for the endangered species, but as a means to increase awareness about global warming and inspire action. Their portfolio states: “A dog who lives most of its days carried around in an expensive handbag doesn’t need a camouflage hoodie and a small cap over its ears. There are a few other [creatures] who we should give at least the same attention”

The design group has also conceived of a bulletproof vest for Bengal tigers, whose numbers have decreased by 95% since 1910 due to illegal hunting.

+ ADDI Concepts

Via Dvice

global warming, polar bear lifevest, polar bear life preserver, environmental art, social commentary, green design, sustainable design, wildlife preservation

7 Responses to “Life Preservers for Polar Bears On Sinking Arctic Ice”

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kristenp Says:
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Wouldn’t the life vest keep our beloved bear from diving deep to get the fish??? Now the poor thing is sure to perish!

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BB Burks Says:
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Why not make artificial ice flows, recycle old barges or oil platforms, like making artificial reefs but instead of sinking them make them, float anchored out on the areas that the polars have been tracked and the life preservers would not be needed.They can rest and fish from them. And can be move to keep up with there swimming tracks..

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ash.nicole Says:
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Wow….no. Awful idea. It’s one thing to control our actions to protect wildlife. It’s another to do this kind of thing….

Nature will always find its balance. She doesn’t need our help. And we can’t force it to happen…

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Catlin Says:
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The life vest isn’t meant to literally save the polar bears from drowning. It’s just to raise awareness about them. It’s in the second paragraph.

pritchet1
pritchet1 Says:
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You might want to read this first before making any more global mistakes. Last I checked, Bears are warm-blooded animals and will go where there is food - i.e. land.

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Global_Cooling

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pacchoi Says:
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Polar bears eat seals on the ice flows… not fish …and not on land… doooh.

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erico Says:
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I’m sure the images are created to raise awareness, not to be literally employed.

Polar bears, of course, need no help to stay afloat. Though the paddling to exhaustion may be a problem (a life-vest would hurt more than help the problem)…the greater exertion from swimming larger distances puts greater demands on bears to hunt. Some may face slow starvation and/or lessened ability to survive colder months by not putting on fat.

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