WWF Study - 2C Increase In Global Temperatures = 50% Loss Of Emperor, 75% Loss of Adelie Colonies

[hatrack]

HALF to three-quarters of major Antarctic penguin colonies could be damaged or wiped out if global temperatures are allowed to climb by more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), according to a report released today.

A two degree hike would threaten 50 per cent of breeding grounds of emperor penguins, and 75 per cent of Adelie penguin colonies, said the study, released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona.

The United Nation's panel of climate change scientists has warned that earth's average temperature could increase more than two degrees Celsius by century's end even if major efforts are made curb greenhouse gases, and twice as fast under "business-as-usual" scenarios.

A reduction in the sea ice is also likely to have a knock-on effect on the abundance of krill, which is a vital food source for penguins, concludes the report. "Penguins are very well adapted to living in the cold and extreme conditions of Antarctica," said the WWF's Juan Casavelos, noting that warming has already contributed to a reduction in populations.

EDIT

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24469364-5009760,00.html?from=public_rss

[tom_paine]

1. So long guys. You wouldn't have wanted to live in the hell on earth we are creating.

n/t