Spectators gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on last friday, drawn by the sight of an enormous ice polar bear, which they watched being sculpted with a chain saw.

The ice sculpture was organized by environmental group Greenpeace to highlight the issue of climate change.

Speaking at the site, Joerg Feddern of Greenpeace explained why the sculpture was of a polar bear, and ice chosen as the material.

“Researchers expect that there will be no more ice in the Arctic in summer by around 2030 at the latest. The ice surface is the living room of the polar bears, and the polar bear will be starving when they are gone. It’s not only about the polar bear, but this is a symbol for us…”

One spectator said that the event was very timely.

A Spectator said:
“Our climate is changing and we’re all feeling the changes right now because it’s not even freezing and it’s already December, so I think it’s very good what they’re doing.”.

The two sculptures were set to melt during the conference in order to raise awareness of climate change. Embedded within the life-size polar bear sculpture is a bronze skeleton. As the ice melts, that skeleton will be revealed. For many people, the dire fate of the world’s polar bears is a symbol of climate change, since a warmer climate threatens the bears’ survival.

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