Even penguins are affected by the climate change that takes place out there. Due to global warming around the world, their natural environment is affected. Those species that live in the extremely cold regions depend on the ice because it is what they walk on. When it is melting at fast rates it completely changes their natural environment. At the same time it can make them vulnerable to predators that they were protected from in the past due to the thick sheets of ice.
Scientists believe that half of the population of penguins in the Antarctic region has been depleted in the last 50 years due to the climate change. It is the species known as the Emperor Penguins that have seen the largest losses. This is due to the warming trends continuing for several years. There is plenty of change that takes place over that span of time, and most of it isn’t positive when it comes to the natural habitat of the penguins.
You also need to remember that these penguins trek over miles and miles of frozen ice to be able to get to their breeding grounds. When those sheets of ice are melting though this is more of a difficult process. As a result it can prevent penguins from reaching those breeding grounds in time. Therefore the number of females that successfully create eggs with offspring in them is reduced as well.
It may surprise you that some penguins have to worry about sunburn. They live in warmer climates where it is possible for them to become too hot. Some of them need to cover their feet with their flippers while on land to prevent them from being sunburned. Others have to continually attempt to cool their bodies due to the excessive heat. The young are very vulnerable too because they are born with no feathers or very few of them so the rays from the sun can easily penetrate to their skin.