Tag: Antarktis & Arktis

IUCN-Update: Antarktis-Bewohner leiden unter Klimawandel: Kaiserpinguin, Antarktischer Seebär, Südlicher See-Elefant
Emperor penguin, Antarctic fur seal and southern elephant seal: these three Antarctic species were reassessed by the IUCN, with the first two now classified as Endangered (EN) and the third as Vulnerable (VU)—a clear signal of the growing impacts of climate change. (© Wikimedia Commons – Pinguin: Ian Duffy UK, CC BY 2.0 / Seebär: Winky from Oxford, CC BY 2.0 / See-Elefant: Colorado State University Libraries, CC BY-SA 4.0)

IUCN warns: Climate change threatens emperor penguins, fur seals and elephant seals in the Southern Ocean

Antarctica and the adjacent subantarctic regions are no longer stable ecosystems. Climate change is causing sea ice to shrink, ocean temperatures to rise and food webs to falter—with direct consequences for the wildlife of the Southern Ocean. New IUCN assessments make it clear that even species adapted to extreme conditions,

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Südliche See-Elefanten
Southern elephant seals are an example of how species were pushed to the brink of extermination by climate change and human impacts. Image: Jerzy Strzelecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Climate change & extinction: what elephant seals and current climate research teach us about Earth’s future

Climate change is among the greatest threats of our time—with far-reaching consequences for our health, economic stability, and biological diversity. Two current scientific studies show what disturbing effects unchecked global warming could have on ecosystems and life on Earth—and why we urgently need to act. Elephant seals as witnesses of

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Klimawandel und Aussterben
Climate change plays an important role in the destruction of natural habitats, for example by contributing to devastating fires in Australia or the Amazon. Image: CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Climate change and extinction: one third of species could soon disappear

Since the end of the 19th century, Earth has warmed by about 1.3 degrees Celsius. This seemingly small change has already had profound effects on life on our planet. Some species have managed to adapt: birds have become smaller, lizards and insects have changed their colors, and many animals have

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