Humans are causing global warming and humans can do something about it, according to Steven Kazlowski, who has spent eight years photographing polar bears and their changing environment in the arctic.

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is hosting an exhibit of Kazlowski's work, "The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World."

"I offer these images as witness to an iconic species and an ecosystem that could be lost to future generations if we as a global community do not take action now," said Kazlowski in an opening statement for his exhibit.

The exhibit text for the 40 large format color pictures explains the extent of the threat to polar bears and other animals in the arctic.

As the arctic changes, spring comes earlier and summers are longer. The ocean could be free of Arctic ice in just 10 years.

Scientists predict the world's polar bear population, which depends on the ice, could decrease by two thirds by the year 2050.

"We must take action now if the polar bear is to survive," said Kazlowski. "We can all be part of the solution."

Kazlowski has a degree in marine biology from Towson University in Baltimore and worked in a marine lab before deciding to become a wildlife photographer.

The photographs were taken along the Arctic coast habitat from Canada's Hershel Island to Point Hope, Alaska.

He endured the hardships of Mother Nature to photograph the polar bears, with 40 degrees below zero temperatures and 80 mile an hour winds.

The cold weather caused some of his lenses to crack and batteries to fail in his digital cameras.

Eighty percent of the time he was waiting for the weather, the animals and the right light before he could take pictures.

"But these are followed by times of excitement and wonder," Kazlowski said.

One of those moments was more like a nightmare for Kazlowski when a polar bear entered his tent and woke him up. He managed to scare the bear away.

In the lead photograph in the exhibit, Kazlowski approached a bear in the water in a rowboat. "I leaned in. The polar bear tried to grab my head," he said.

One photo shows a polar bear pressing his nose against a truck window, curious about the passengers inside. His face and paws lay flat against the glass.

Another bear stands on his hind legs and looks directly at the photographer. The bears are 10 feet tall when standing, about the height of a school bus.

The images show bears playing, mothers spending time with cubs and adults hunting. A hands-on area allows families to learn about the science of bears.

Kazlowski also took pictures of walruses, musk ox and king eiders, a large sea duck.

Filmmaker Arthur C. Smith's documentary "Ice Bears of the Beaufort," supplements the exhibit.

Erin Younger, the associate director of the Burke Museum, said the exhibit helps visitors learn how the changes brought about through global warming are affecting polar bears, walruses, seals and other species and humans who live in the Arctic environment.

"The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World," runs through Dec. 31, 2008. The Burke is also hosting "The Last Polar Bear Summer Camp," from July 14 to 19 for 10th to 12th graders.

Visit http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum or http://www/lefteyepro.com