Where do I start? I honestly don’t know. Global Warming started bothering me a while ago when I noticed the climate change. Of course, I didn’t know it was “Global Warming” at the time, but now I do. The Al Gore movie, An Inconvenient Truth led to more disbelief. Sometimes I am so out of touch with the outside world that I really regret not being more involved. What bothers me most is the fact that the animals are suffering due to Global Warming.
Firstly, the Penguins. Due to the warm climate in the Antarctic, Penguins are
having a hard time, based on a new report according the the World Wildlife Federation. Penguin populations such as Emperor, Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adélie are under great pressure because the ice is melting. Emily Lewis-Brown, Marine and Climate Change Officer at WWF-UK says, “As the ice melts, these icons of the Antarctic will have to face an extremely tough battle to survive.” The Arctic and the Antarctic are melting at a much faster pace, all due to severe climate changes in the atmosphere. According to Julie Langer of the WWF-Canada; she states, “You’ve heard about global warming but it’s acute at the poles. As the temperatures increase, the ice melts. When you have less ice at the edge of the continent, you have less algae, less krill, less food for the penguins.” How could this not sadden anyone? What can we do? How can we? Not even solve this situation, but make a little better by helping a little. Over time, with enough help, we might a see a change. The report finds that:
- Adelie population: dropped 65% over the past 25 years (that’s younger than me)
- Gentoo population: dropped 40-60% of their population in some colonies
- Emperor population: dropped by half over the past 50 years (that’s younger than my dad and mom)
- Chinstrap population: a whopping 40-66% drop in their population
According to the study:
- The Southern Ocean has experienced warming all the way down to a depth of 3,000 meters.
- The Antarctic Peninsula is warming five times faster than the global average.
- Sea ice now covers 40% less area than it did 26 years ago off the West Antarctic Peninsula.
The ice has gotten so thin, that it’s hard for the penguins to mate. Most of the baby penguins get blown away; some way before they are old enough to fend for themselves. Even though there are all these reports, I don’t think the general public is taking this as serious as they should. Or perhaps they are just as bothered as I am, but don’t know what to do or even how to get started. This problem is not going away, it’s here to stay. The Penguins are only the beginning.
