World Penguin Day is held on 25 April, and for the occasion the WWF draws attention to the risk that "half of the emperor penguin populations in Antarctica could be lost if the rise in temperatures is not kept below 1.5. Celsius degrees".
World Day was set up to "raise public awareness of the threats facing these birds due to global warming and human activities" recalls the environmental association, which is at the forefront of protecting Antarctica and the emperor penguin.
"The emperor penguin, the largest species of penguin on the planet - explains the WWF - is considered 'almost threatened' in the Red Lists of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) but today the risk is to see its status worsen rapidly. This alarm - recalls the NGO - was launched by a recent international study, published in March 2021 in the journal 'Geophysical Research Letters' in which the models show how the increase in events and the intensity of rain in many areas of Antarctica may accelerate the retreat of glaciers "and" by the end of the century the models predict a 240% increase in liquid precipitation. The increase in the amount of rain, caused by the average increase in temperatures,it can have serious repercussions on Antarctica's fauna and ecosystems, and also on the conservation of the emperor penguin. This species in fact depends on stable sea ice, especially during the reproductive period ".
The reduction in ice, continues the WWF, can also lead to an early removal from the breeding areas of young penguins, forced to go to sea when not yet ready, and therefore can lead to an increase in mortality in juvenile age, with serious repercussions. on populations. "
If the average temperature rise is not kept below 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial period, researchers estimate that we could lose up to 50% of the emperor penguin colonies present in Antarctica today. (ANSA).