"The IUCN assessment projects that the emperor penguin population will halve by the 2080s owing to sea ice loss. The current emperor penguin population is estimated at 595,000 adults, having already fallen by 10% between 2009 and 2018."
"Four of the five known emperor penguin breeding sites in the Bellingshausen Sea collapsed in 2022, with the loss of thousands of chicks. Researchers called the catastrophes grim and extraordinarily distressing."
"The emperor penguin's move to endangered is a stark warning: climate change is accelerating the extinction crisis before our eyes, said Martin Harper, the chief executive of BirdLife International."
Emperor penguins are facing extinction as climate change melts sea ice, crucial for their breeding and survival. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has declared them endangered, with projections indicating a population decline of 50% by the 2080s. Record low sea ice levels have resulted in the collapse of breeding sites, leading to mass drownings of chicks. The current population of 595,000 adults has already decreased by 10% from 2009 to 2018. The situation reflects a broader crisis affecting other species, including the Antarctic fur seal, which has also seen significant population declines.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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