A sculpture of an impaled polar bear went on display on Friday in front of the Danish parliament to highlight the impact of global warming.

 

The seven-meter high metal sculpture named "Unbearable" depicts a graph of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere sky-rocketing into the belly of a polar bear, gutting its abdomen and almost penetrating the back of the beast.

 

Polar bears are among the animal species most threatened by the increase in global temperatures.

 

"The rate at which our ice caps are melting is crazy. It is going way faster than what people expect," said Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt who produced the sculpture in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund.

 

The sculpture was first unveiled at the Paris climate summit last December where world leaders pledged to do more to curb greenhouse gas emissions. A Danish opposition party Alternativet used crowdfunding to finance its transfer to Denmark.

 

"(The sculpture) is a symbol of the need to hold on to the climate deal we made in Paris. We need to keep working on climate solutions, sharpen our goals and make more initiatives to convert to sustainable energy," said Christian Poll, energy spokesman for Alternativet.

 

The arrival of the sculpture coincides with data from Greenland, a former Danish colony, that showed its ice sheet melting more rapidly this year during the onset of spring. The data showed almost 12 percent of the ice sheet surface melting by April 11, a level usually only reached in May. (Reuters)

 

 

PHOTO: Sculpture is “Unbearable” are seen at front of Christiansborg Palace, seat of the Danish Parliament, in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 15, 2016.

CREDIT: REUTERS/NIKOLAJ SKYDSGAARD.