World Penguin Day: penguins on course for extinction ‘by end of century’ due to climate crisis

Oceanites is a not-for-profit organization that aims at assisting science-based conservation recommendations in Antarctica and increasing awareness of climate change through education. Oceanites’ work takes place on the “frontlines” of climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula, where it is warmed faster than almost anywhere else — by an enormous 3˚C. year-round — and where Adélie and Chinstrap penguin populations have dramatically plunged. Climate change has a meaningful negative impact on penguins, leading their population to substantially decrease. A study, published in the journal Global Change Biology, estimates that 98% of Emperor Penguins colonies will be quasi-extinct by 2100 unless the world drastically reduces its greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, Emperor penguins need stable sea ice to survive, but climate change is steadily melting away their Antarctic home. As a reminder, in Antarctica, in February, the ocean area covered by ice slipped below 2 million km2 for the first time, which is 30% less than the average. Unless dramatic action is taken to slow the progression of climate change, this new research predicts the species will be all but extinct by the year 2100. Rod Downie, WWF’s chief adviser on polar regions, said to the Independent:  “Emperor penguins are the most iconic species of the ice. They are uniquely adapted to the harsh and extreme Antarctic environment. Yet they are also increasingly vulnerable to climate change, habitat loss, and human disturbance.” Despite being legally protected from hunting and egg collecting by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 9 out of the 18 listed penguin species have been deemed endangered and vulnerable while three are considered near threatened. Recent estimates using satellite imagery suggest there are between 531,000 and 557,000 emperor penguins in the world. Read more about Oceanites: https://oceanites.org/about-us/#accomplishments Read more about the impact of climate change on penguins: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/emperor-penguins-extinction-antarctica-wwf-b2064808.html Read more about Antarctica’s heatwaves: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/0cc2a69f-a80e-4c65-825f-8120b75f9821