WWF is working hard to raise awareness for climate change and the declining polar bear population and a six-tonne bear sculpture made of ice with a bronze skeleton has just taken residence in the heart of Montreal.

The bear has already traveled to Ottawa and Quebec City, but will spend the rest of its time in Montreal, until it melts down to nothing. The sculpture even spent some time outside of Canada in London and Copenhagen during the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The trek is part of the Polar Bears on Thin Ice climate change campaign initiated by Equiterre and the Federation des cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec, in cooperation with WWF-Canada, the Hotel de Glace and Quebec City.

Steven Guilbeault, Deputy Director for Equiterre, says the campaign was designed to illustrate the changing climate that polar bears are forced to endure as the earth warms. The melting of the ice sculpture is intended to mimic real life circumstances.

“This campaign has the Ice Bear travel to raise the awareness of Canadians, particularly young people, regarding climate change. By letting it melt in the heart of downtown Montreal, we hope to impress on Montrealers the impact of climate change,” he said.

The meaningful piece of art was designed by British artist and creator of the London and Copenhagen bears, Mark Coreth, in partnership with Inuit sculptors Peter Boy Ittukallak and Juanasi Jack Ittukallak.

In addition to the ice sculpture, a series of activities centered around polar bears and climate change has been set up in various Canadian cities to help raise awareness. For example, young people have been asked to discuss and address the problem of climate change in “polar bear letters” and the top two writers will be sent to Nunavik to act as young emissaries to the High Arctic.

Additionally, Montreal will play host to a bevy of events to help raise awareness for the campaign including an all-night event on February 27 that will feature the 12-hour Bear Dance as part of the Montreal High Lights Festival.

Although there is already a contest predicting when the bear sculpture will melt down, the end of the ice bear won’t mean the end of the Polar Bears on Thin Ice campaign as Guilbeault says the sculpture will occasionally be restored to meet the Canadian public and continue to raise awareness.

Currently, organizers are planning to reconstruct the bear for the G8-G20 Summit in Toronto to remind world leaders of the importance of the cause.

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By Taylor Turner