Climate change threatens emperor penguins with extinction, officials say
It is the only animal that dares to breed during the Antarctic winter. It endures gale-force winds and freezing temperatures to lay and protect a single egg. Now climate change threatens Antarcticas emperor penguin with extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared Tuesday, as melting sea ice upends the habitat it needs to breed, feed and protect itself from predators. This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis, Martha Williams, the federal wildlife agencys director, said in a statement, as the agency gave the iconic seabird protection under the Endangered Species Act. Climate change is having a profound impact on species around the world. The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned Fish and Wildlife to protect the emperor penguin in 2011, arguing that the loss of sea ice driven by climate change will put the penguins long-term survival in jeopardy. With their final decision Tuesday to list the penguin as a threatened species, federal officials agreed with that assessment, though it is unclear what specific steps the government will take to safeguard the penguins habitat. The agency proposed protecting the penguin last year. While sea ice around Antarctica has proved more durable than ice near the North Pole, nearly all emperor penguin colonies in the southern continent would be pushed to the brink of extinction by the end of the century without dramatic cuts to global greenhouse gas emissions, scientists projected last year. That body of science really helped to make this decision really clear, said Shaye Wolf, the Center for Biological Diversitys climate science director. That the penguin is endangered by climate change and needs all the protection it can get. How climate change has made it harder for penguins to find a mate The seabirds are used to enduring tough times. Males spend two months incubating their egg on their feet, while females hunt for krill and fish in the sea. After the egg hatches, the parents take turns waddling and sliding dozens of miles to and from the ocean to feed their hungry chick. Stephanie Jenouvrier, a scientist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who studied the penguins in Antarctica and led the recent study projecting their decline, said the birds movements are both awkward and graceful. That journey documented in the 2005 film March of the Penguins as well as in the 2006 animated movie Happy Feet turned the hardy, flightless seabird into an animal icon of resilience. Right now, the penguins population appears stable, with between 625,000 and 650,000 birds shuffling around Antarctica. But there are already signs of what the future may hold for the worlds tallest and heaviest penguin species. The breakup of sea ice before chicks were ready to swim at Halley Bay and Cape Crozier led to breeding failures in recent years. The nearly half-century-old Endangered Species Act was designed to protect imperiled animals from poaching and habitat destruction. But rising temperatures pose a pervasive threat that will challenge wildlife managers ability to protect declining animal populations. Here's what President Biden's doing to tackle climate change Conservationists hope the listing could lead to stricter limits on fishing for krill around Antarctica and compel U.S. officials to weigh the climate implications of federal projects before approving them. Cutting global climate-warming pollution, Jenouvrier said, would lead to a much less severe decline in the emperor penguins numbers. If we manage to take action, and especially action now, she added, we can still avoid the extinction. Sign up for the latest news about climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday Understanding our climate: Global warming is a real phenomenon , and weather disasters are undeniably linked to it . As temperatures rise, heat waves are more often sweeping the globe and parts of the world are becoming too hot to survive . What can be done? The Post is tracking a variety of climate solutions , as well as the Biden administrations actions on environmental issues . It can feel overwhelming facing the impacts of climate change, but there are ways to cope with climate anxiety . Inventive solutions: Some people have built off-the-grid homes from trash to stand up to a changing climate. As seas rise, others are exploring how to harness marine energy . What about your role in climate change? Our climate coach Michael J. Coren is answering questions about environmental choices in our everyday lives. Submit yours here. You can also sign up for our Climate Coach newsletter .