Antarctica's emperor penguins are threatened by sea ice loss.
Due to declining sea ice levels, the emperor penguin population in Antarctica is in grave danger and has been given endangered species protections, the US wildlife authorities announced Tuesday. The flightless seabirds will receive new protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
According to CNN, with global warming melting the sea ice the penguins depend on for their survival, the US Fish and Wildlife Service now categorises the species as threatened. The federal agency lists "imperiled species as endangered or threatened regardless of their country of origin."
Tuesday's designation was described as a warning that emperor penguins need "urgent climate action" in order to survive by Shaye Wolf, the climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
"The penguin's very existence depends on whether our government takes strong action now to cut climate-heating fossil fuels and prevent irreversible damage to life on Earth," Wolf said.
According to the news agency Reuters, the 1973 Endangered Species Act is credited with bringing several animals back from the brink of extinction, including grizzly bears, bald eagles, gray whales and others. The law has frustrated some drilling and mining industries, among others, which can be stopped from developing areas deemed necessary for species survival.
"This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis and highlights the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before population declines become irreversible," said Service Director Martha Williams in a statement. "Climate change is having a profound impact on species around the world, and addressing it is a priority for the Administration. The listing of the emperor penguin serves as an alarm bell but also a call to action."