Find out what EDF Energy is doing (image (c) EDF Energy)
Vanishing bears: MSN Special Report (Image © Elizabeth Peacock)
Seventy-five per cent of the world’s bear species are threatened with extinction as a result of human activity, according to a new report.
From the smallest bear on the planet to the giant panda, six out of the world’s eight species are now considered globally threatened as populations – particularly in Asia and South America – continue to decline.
The drop in numbers reported by the IUCN is being attributed almost exclusively to man’s activities, from logging to commercial poaching, and conservationists are calling for urgent action to prevent ecological catastrophe.
To find out more about the world’s vanishing bears, click on the thumbnails in this gallery from MSN UK News.

In pictures: vanishing bears

Giant panda (click to enlarge)Giant panda (click to enlarge)Sun bear (click to enlarge)Asiatic black bear (click to enlarge)Sloth bear (click to enlarge)
Andean bear (click to enlarge)Polar bear (click to enlarge)Brown bear (click to enlarge)American black bear (click to enlarge)American black bear (click to enlarge)

More from MSN Environment

Green galleries (Image © Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty Images)
Green galleries: the plight of our planet in pictures

As the global environmental movement gathers pace, MSN UK News brings you a collection of the most arresting photo galleries from the environmental frontline. From endangered species to eco-savvy Hollywood stars, we celebrate our planet's treasures in pictures.

50 ways to save the world (Image © Getty Images/Foodcollection; Rubberball Productions/Getty Images; Photodisc Blue/Getty Images; Getty Images)
50 ways to save the world

You don’t have to grow a hair coat or travel by horse and cart to help combat climate change. Simply tweak your daily routine and you could shrink your carbon footprint in no time.

Test your green IQ (Image © StockTrek/Getty Images)
Are you an eco-saint or an eco-sinner? Test your green IQ!

Are you an environmentally conscious eco-warrior who recycles with religious fervour, or do you drive to the post box and back in a CO2-belching 4x4 behemoth? Find out whether you're an eco-saint or an eco-sinner with our green IQ quiz.

Bjorn Lomborg, the sceptical environmentalist (Image © Emil Jupin)
Keeping his cool: the sceptical environmentalist

There are two sides to every story – and global warming is no exception. Much has been said about the dangers of allowing climate change to continue unchecked. But there is an alternative perspective...

From flood waters to heat waves: the future of the UK? (Image © PA)
From flood waters to heat waves: the future of the UK?

The weather is changing. Temperatures and sea levels are rising. Summers are getting hotter, winters are getting wetter. But what does that mean for us here in the UK? What will it be like to live here in the future? And why should we even care?

More from MSN Environment

Learn more about global warming with MSN Encarta (Image © Microsoft Corporation)
What is climate change?

Learn more about global warming - measurable increases in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses - with MSN Encarta.

New species names go under the hammer (Image © AP Photo)
What's in a name?

MSN UK News looks at whether it is acceptable for the rights to name 10 new marine species to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

MSN Environment Blog (Image © PA Photos)
MSN Environment Blog

The Climate Report - MSN UK's official green blog - keeps you abreast of what's happening at the sharp edge of climate change.

Recycling bags in the City of Westminster containing a mixture of materials including plastic, paper, glass and metal. (Image
Have Your Say

Have you noticed the effects of global warming? Are you changing your lifestyle to help save the planet? Is recycling overrated? Join our green debates.