Letters | Climate change is killing penguins: why the world needs to worry
- Colonies of chinstrap penguins have dropped dramatically since they were last surveyed almost 50 years ago, largely as a result of climate change
The best-loved penguins in Antarctica are not only struggling for their lives but also disappearing from the planet.
Like lots of Antarctic animals, these penguins live on krill, which can get harder to find when there is less winter ice. This pressure on their food supply from the ocean, combined with changes to the land where they nest and raise their chicks, makes climate change a huge threat to the Antarctic’s best-loved residents.
“Such significant declines suggest that the Southern Ocean’s ecosystem is fundamentally changed from 50 years ago, and that the impacts of this are rippling up the food web to species like chinstrap penguins,” said Dr Heather J. Lynch, associate professor of ecology and evolution at Stony Brook University, and one of the expedition’s research leads.
“While several factors may have a role to play, all the evidence we have points to climate change as being responsible for the changes we are seeing.”
The plight of these penguins in Antarctica is sounding the alarm on the climate crisis loud and clear. As wildlife struggles, we urgently need new ocean sanctuaries in the Antarctic and across the world, so animals like these penguins have the space to recover and adapt to the rapidly changing climate, safe from harmful industries.