The political topic of global warming has become increasingly mainstream over the last decade, with the modern progressive Democratic party wholeheartedly embracing the issue and making it a centerpiece of their far-left agenda. For decades, politicians have spread rhetoric and made claims regarding the earth’s changing climate and the impact it may have on humanity. In the 1970s, “acid rain” was widely discussed. By the 1990s and early 2000s, the “ozone layer” and “out of control rising sea levels” were issues of future catastrophe. Now, decades later, while sea levels have risen as an aggregate, and temperatures have also increased slightly, humanity from a global perspective remains physically and economically largely unaffected. While this may be true, other mammals may not be so lucky.
In an affirming twist when taking into account mainstream climate rhetoric, thousands of hatchling Emperor penguins perished in Antarctica in association with record low sea-ice levels. Scientists have reported that warming maritime saltwater temperatures caused ice in the arctic ocean to melt at a faster rate than anticipated, causing baby penguins who were not at the stage of physical development to withstand arctic oceanic temperatures to die. Researchers believe that Emperor penguins may be extinct within 100 years, as scientific predictions regarding future trends in climate change project conditions that would make it extremely difficult for the species to survive.
It is estimated that 9,000 chicks have died. Emperor penguins lay their eggs in May or June, and the newborn penguins must remain on the ice out of water until the following December or January, roughly a period of about eight to nine months. Waterproof feathers which allow the penguins to survive in the frigid arctic waters do not form until this later stage of growth. While it is unknown what the future may hold for the penguins, it is certain activists in the western world will seize on the story to push a climate agenda.
