The world’s birds have begun flocking towards the earth’s north and south poles and upwards to higher ground as climate change begins to transform their habitats, a new report has found. One quarter of 570 bird species studied globally have been affected negatively by climate change, while 13% have responded positively, says the study by […]
Tag: climate change
Climate change is ‘single biggest threat’ to polar bear survival
Global warming is now the single most important threat to the survival of the polar bear with retreating sea ice set to decimate populations, according to a new study by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It found a “high probability” that the planet’s 26,000 polar bears will suffer a 30% decline […]
Global marine populations slashed by half since 1970
Populations of marine mammals, birds, reptiles and fish have dropped by about half in the past four decades, with fish critical to human food suffering some of the greatest declines, the WWF warned on Wednesday. In a new report, the conservation group cautioned that over-fishing, pollution and climate change had significantly shrunk the size of […]
Extreme Arctic sea ice melt forces thousands of walruses ashore in Alaska
The extreme loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change is forcing thousands of walruses to crowd ashore on a remote barrier island off Alaska, and threatening their survival. Barack Obama will be the first US president to visit the Alaskan Arctic on 31 August on a three-day tour to draw attention to the […]
Polar bears eat dolphins as Arctic warms
Norwegian scientists have seen polar bears eating dolphins in the Arctic for the first time ever and blame global warming for the bears expanding their diet. Polar bears feed mainly on seals but Jon Aars at the Norwegian Polar Institute has photographed dolphins being devoured by a bear and published his findings in the latest […]
Remote-Control Penguin Rovers Fool Birds, Boost Science
If it looks like a penguin and acts like a penguin—well, sometimes it’s not a penguin. A remote-controlled rover designed to sneak undetected into penguin colonies in Antarctica works better than other research methods, a new study says. The penguin-camouflaged technology is so realistic, it even fools live emperor penguins into trying to communicate with […]
Migrating birds halt expansion of London Array
Expansion plans at one of the world’s largest offshore windfarms have come to a sudden halt, with the owners blaming concerns about migrating birds for the interruption. The London Array will not proceed to its planned second stage, meaning it will be about a third smaller than originally proposed. The windfarm’s power output will be […]
Penguins suffering from climate change, scientists say
Penguins are in peril because of extreme environmental conditions linked to climate change, research has shown. Two new studies highlight the plight of penguin colonies trying to cope with the effects of global warming in Argentina and Antarctica. At both locations, the beguiling birds face an uncertain future. Climate change is killing chicks from the […]