Overview

• Satellites tracked 16 colonies across key Antarctic regions to estimate population changes from 2009 to 2024.
• The monitored colonies, representing about 30% of the world’s emperor penguin population, saw a 22% drop in numbers.
• Observed declines outstrip the most pessimistic computer projections by approximately 50%.
• Loss of stable sea ice has led to breeding failures, with thinning ice causing whole broods of chicks to perish.
• Researchers warn that without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, emperor penguins face the threat of near extinction by century’s end.