Emperor penguins added to endangered list as climate change drives decline
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The emperor penguin has been added to the endangered category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as climate change continues to shrink its habitat.
The IUCN said the emperor penguin population could fall by half by the 2080s, with the species facing near-extinction by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
Satellite data showed the population declined by around 10% between 2009 and 2018, representing a loss of more than 20,000 adult penguins.
The species depends on stable sea ice in Antarctica for breeding, feeding, and moulting. Scientists say rising temperatures are causing sea ice to melt earlier, reducing breeding success and threatening the penguins’ survival.
The loss of sea ice is also reducing populations of Krill, a key food source for emperor penguins.
Grethel Aguilar said the decline should serve as a warning about the effects of climate change. “These important findings should spur us into action across all sectors and levels of society to decisively address climate change,” Aguilar said.
The IUCN also upgraded the status of the Antarctic fur seal from least concern to endangered.
The fur seal population has dropped by more than 50%, from an estimated 2.18 million mature animals in 1999 to 944,000 in 2025.
Scientists said climate change is forcing krill into deeper, colder waters, making it harder for fur seals to find food.
Martin Harper said the new classification was a “stark warning” that climate change is accelerating the extinction crisis.