London Polar Bear Sculpture Stranded On The Thames (SLIDESHOW)

A new sculpture floating in the Thames River is catching eyes and raising awareness of melting ice caps. The sculpture, a realistic-looking polar bear stranded on an iceberg in the Thames, reminds onlookers that there are already victims of global warming:

A total of 15 artists spent two months constructing the 20ft by 20ft square structure, which was launched at 6:30am before travelling up the Thames, stopping beside Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. The structure weighing, 1.5 tonnes, was winched into place.

The event coincides with the Eden Channel's Fragile Earth series, presented by Sir David Attenborough.

Here are some images of the sculpture:

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Read the full story here

Comments

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

05:14 AM on 01/29/2009

solution to the crisis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVuevsrVD6g

[forsmokey]

10:17 AM on 01/27/2009

When is this or something like it coming to the United States? Perhaps on the Potomac in Washington, D.C. Greenpeace puts their lives on the line to stop Japanese whaling and Americans file lawsuits.

[JulieSA]

12:45 AM on 01/28/2009

Polar bears are doing fine. Prairie chickens, sage grouse, quail and other birds in your own back yard are crashing fast. It's obs.cene that polar bears were listed as endangered when these other animals that are vanishing right now haven't been.

Polar bears sucked all the attention from animals that really need it. It's a travesty.

[pydbl]

05:08 PM on 01/28/2009

I bet there would be more palins than polar bears in the near future.

[WilliePilgrim]

09:11 AM on 01/27/2009

Nice sculpture and great concept. Instead of reminding people that there are certain populations of the great white sea-bear, typically called "polar bears" today which are imperilled due to loss of habitat, it would have been nice if it reminded people who inhabit the shorelines of the North Atlantic that not too long ago these bears and even walrus were native to their shores. It would also have been nice if it pointed out that about one in five female polar bears in Greenland have been shown to be impaired in their sexual reproduction organs due presumably to all the heavy metal laden soot generated by our Kyoto protected co-signatories and that the threat we need to generate international action should be something other than the mild effects a little warming, which might actually help the arctic to become productive enough to support a population of white sea bears that can expand back into their original ranges.Yes, warming might actually help the so-called polar bear.

[plugger]

07:47 PM on 01/26/2009

What is this polar bear doing?... It is saying 'WTF.. GET ME BACK TO THE ARCTIC WHERE THE SEA ICE IS LIKE 1979"

[Exusian]

10:54 AM on 01/27/2009

But it isn't like 1979, it's much, much thinner ice.

It's ice volume that matters, not area.

[johnnyjust]

06:42 PM on 01/26/2009

That's like dinner floating its way to my table.

Keep a-comin'!

[daedelus]

12:02 PM on 01/27/2009

Your mullet needs a trim.

[NTL]

05:16 PM on 01/27/2009

lmao. I agree with the message of the work but this comment was just hilarious. If only all of our food was so accommodating!

[forpeace]

06:03 PM on 01/26/2009

*

.......... escaped from Alaska.

*

[paul m]

04:07 PM on 01/26/2009

We are missing the point and the boat on the opportunity that the down turn is presenting.

It is disappointing to see that our leaders are not getting it - look at all the money they have committed to try and kick start the old consumer base paradigm that got us in to this dilemma and which is relentlessly driving our CO2 upwards.(Climate change envoy calls for state aid to create low-carbon economy http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/25/climate-change-summit-global-international)

You can see how it happens, with the mad panic that has engulfed us all as we stare over the cliff at the gaping depression sucking us in.

This year is it!

If we don't switch our bail out packages and infrastructure spending towards obtaining the target for 100% CO2 reduction. then we are hosed for sure. There won't be a second chance. We will have wasted the money, the political effort and the time (the oh so precious time) correcting the more urgent at the expense of the most essential.(Climate change in 2009: the defining issue http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/climate-change-in-2009-the-defining-issue)

It must be fate that Obama arrived at this moment. If he is able to realize that this is the most crucial point in the history of mankind and is able to engage the international effort needed, then there is hope.

God bless America.

[cspencer81]

03:44 PM on 01/26/2009

FACT: Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

[BowlingForRevenge]

03:43 PM on 01/26/2009

HOW MARVELOUS!!!

[RachelMc]

03:31 PM on 01/26/2009

i want one!

[Freesia2]

02:05 PM on 01/26/2009

I think this is really wonderful. It's so realistic and because it's placed in a real environment it is both beautiful but very jarring.

They should do this in other places.

[zanzig]

10:11 PM on 01/26/2009

I agree; the impact would be wonderful to show the bear and cub in all major cities as a reminder to most urbanites.

[JulieSA]

09:41 AM on 01/27/2009

Polar bears are doing fine. Prairie chickens, sage grouse, quail and other birds in your own back yard are crashing fast. It's obs.cene that polar bears were listed as endangered when these other animals that are vanishing right now haven't been.

Polar bears sucked all the attention from animals that really need it. It's a travesty.

[gjohntheterrible]

12:07 PM on 01/26/2009

Its the invasion of the polar bears. For centuries these creatures have been studying us humans looking for an opening to strike. Well now it seems that the age of the bear is at hand. Don't be fooled by their cuddly nature. Knut was really a spy sent to relay information back to the home lair as to the best time to strike and they are now doing just that.

More of this at 8 pm tonight.

[jsgaetano]

02:05 PM on 01/26/2009

Only Rush dared to warn us of the Polar Bear uprising.

We have to kill all the animals in the world- you just can't trust somebody who won't sign one of Bush's Loyalty Oaths.

[thromulese]

02:06 PM on 01/26/2009

Now now Mr. Colbert. Calm down. They are just statues. And if they weren’t, the “bear police” would already have anesthetized these escapees from global warming.

So relax and issue your usual Bear Alert tonight.

[fumes]

10:16 AM on 01/26/2009

so stop this

http://gizmodo.com/5055160/24-hour-air-traffic-around-the-world-blows-minds-eyeballs?autoplay=true

now

[Semaj51]

10:47 AM on 01/26/2009

Not "now" -- but "how"....

[fumes]

11:24 AM on 01/26/2009

eggs

actly

[Bocado]

12:30 PM on 01/26/2009

We're really over populating our earth, so sad.

[RachelMc]

03:38 PM on 01/26/2009

bad reproducing habits. like palin and her litter and the tlc families with like 18 kids. its ridiculous. we all know ppl can reproduce if they have functioning reproductive systems no need to prove it. sorry to say this, but its a burden on the would not just financially but environmentally. ppl who use fertility drugs and have like 4+ babies ugh like those octets its crazy.