The Coca-Cola family's affection for polar bears goes back decades. We first included Coca-Cola polar bears in advertising in 1922 and today they remain one of the most lovable symbols of the Coca-Cola brand.

Polar bears have amazing adaptations to life in the rugged Arctic environment. But the average temperatures in the Arctic are rising at almost twice the rate as temperatures in the rest of the world, and the sea ice that polar bears depend on for survival is thinning and retreating at rates the planet has never seen before.

Within not too distant future, the Arctic Ocean could effectively be ice-free in the summer. This rapid loss of sea ice threatens the people and wildlife - such as the polar bear - that rely on this environment.

The Coca-Cola Company has a long standing commitment to support WWF's polar bear conservation efforts. Prior to 2011 Coca-Cola donated more than $1 million to WWF for Arctic research and conservation efforts. In the fall of 2011 we extended that support and made a pledge of $2 million over 5 years (ending in 2016) and added an additional $1 million in 2012 towards polar bear conservation efforts.

Funds raised through this initiative will support WWF's conservation work with a special focus on the area where summer Arctic sea ice is predicted to persist the longest in the face of climate change. This area, which WWF calls the Last Ice Area, will be critical to ice-dependent species like the polar bear. Bears, whales, walrus, seals and people are all parts of the unique Arctic sea ice ecosystem. WWF is working with local people to assess the potential of this area for all life, as climate change eats away at the sea ice. WWF is also starting discussions about how the area should best be managed. This is a unique and major undertaking. The commitment by The Coca-Cola Company is a step toward working together with WWF and alongside many others to chart what we hope will be a more sustainable course for the fragile Arctic sea ice ecosystem and helping to protect the polar bear's home.

Our effort to help polar bears is part of our larger commitment to working towards sustainability. Our global partnership with the WWF is a key part of our efforts to build a more sustainable business model. Since 2008, the Coca-Cola business system has partnered with WWF to conserve freshwater resources around the world and improve water efficiency within Coca-Cola system's global operations. As a result of our focus on reducing manufacturing emissions, WWF has welcomed us into its Climate Savers program, a group of leading corporations from around the world that are working with WWF to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.