A Message From the Antarctic

I recently read an article in The New York Times informing readers that Emperor Penguins and Fur Seals have been placed on the endangered species list. The article quoted researchers as saying, “the changes were largely driven by shifts in sea ice levels and food availability linked to global warming.” And for species in the Antarctic region they noted, “this is the first clear evidence of climate change’s influence to pop up in a big way.”

Not for me. My husband, Dan, and I travelled to the Antarctic in 1999, and these photos were taken on that expedition. Each day, after exploring the shores of a continent with no four-legged creatures and no fear of the humans who reached out to greet them, we went back on board the ship to learn more from the science and research experts who travelled with us. We were told that the penguins and the seals were threatened. The penguins nested on the hillsides above the shore and had to travel down each day to hunt for krill, the tiny shrimp they caught to feed their chicks. The scientists reported that climate change was causing greater and earlier ice melt, so the penguins had to climb higher to reach the lasting ice cover that would make their nests stable. (Note on the widest photo the penguins far up the hill on the right side.)

This also meant they had to travel farther back down the hill to the sea to begin their hunt for food. But that wasn’t all, the water was also warming, so the krill were moving further out to sea for cooler water, making the penguin’s hunt for food even longer and farther from home. This broke our hearts, we adored these penguins, their furry chicks, and the seals, and the albatross who nested high on these hills. This was their land, their home. How could humans so far away be making life this much harder for them?

In the Antarctic in 1999, climate change became real to us in a way it had not before. This was how far it reached, this was how destructive it could be. But there were other guests on our ship who chose not to believe any of this was true. They objected to the reporting and asked for a space to gather where the experts could not misinform them with what they believed was ‘junk science’. We were shocked, but on that trip, we accepted both realities. There is truth being told about the dangers to our planet, and there are those who choose not to believe it, evidence be damned. And now here we are, over a quarter of a century later. These penguins and seals may no longer exist at all. Because of us.

Can’t we do better?