Climate crisis. Young emperor penguins at risk
Record-low sea ice levels in Antarctica are taking a terrible toll. Thousands of young emperor penguins are dying due to excessively high temperatures.
Experts are sounding the alarm: the global warming and climate crisis constitute a real problem that is taking an increasing toll. More than often do we hear about the dreadful consequences of neglecting climate policy. This summer season is also marked by the terrible wildfires that broke out on a large scale in Europe, Canada and the United States.
The climate crisis also affects places where the temperatures should be very low. Now the news broke that young penguins are dying in Antarctica. All because the Earth is getting too warm.
Climate crisis kills emperor penguin chicks
Thousands of emperor penguin chicks in four colonies in Antarctica have died due to record low sea ice levels, The Guardian reports. The death of such a large number of chicks was called a "catastrophic breeding failure".
The latest research and satellite imagery show that a break-up of the usually stable sea ice has taken place in Antarctica. This caused emperor penguin colonies to disappear before the chicks had even developed waterproof feathers.
Scientists stress that emperor penguins are facing a frightening and uncertain future due to the climate crisis and increasingly high temperatures. After all, flightless birds are reliant on sea ice and how much of it there will be in Antarctica. Unfortunately, forecasts predict that Antarctica is going to run out of sea ice in the foreseeable future.
"Itās a grim story. We had predicted it for a long time. The sea ice loss has been unprecedented and far quicker than we imagined. I was shocked. Itās very hard to think of these cute fluffy chicks dying in large numbers," said British Antarctic Survey researcher and lead author of the study Dr Peter Fretwell.
According to The Guardian, around 30% of the known 62 emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica have been affected by partial or total loss of sea ice since 2018.
Scientists point out that these adorable flightless birds are unique in that they have not come under pressure from hunting, fishing or loss of habitat. The biggest threat they face is "only" the global warming. It is predicted that by 2100 emperor penguin colonies could be so small that they will simply cease to exist.
Source: theguardian.com
