As global temperatures have spiraled out of control , Arctic sea ice has been reduced to historic lows . And unless humans win the fight to combat climate change, polar bears could very well go extinct, federal officials said Monday.

In a final conservation management plan , the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service singles out climate change-driven sea ice loss as the primary threat to the future of this beloved species.

It cannot be overstated that the single most important action for the recovery of polar bears is to significantly reduce the present levels of global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the primary source of warming in the Arctic, federal officials wrote in the lengthy report.

Short of action that effectively addresses the primary cause of diminishing sea ice, it is unlikely that polar bears will be recovered, they added.

In 2008, polar bears became the first animal listed under the Endangered Species Act because of forecasted impacts of climate change. The species relies on sea ice for hunting, resting and raising their young.