A Challenging Winter

No creature is more iconic to swaths of sea ice than the adorable penguin. Nature documentaries showcase their incredible underwater speeds (nearly 30 km/h when hunting or escaping predators), and children’s movies highlight their strong family structures.

However, these familiar black and white birds are in serious danger. While multiple species call the Antarctic home, many are struggling with rising temperatures. Nearly 75% of Adelie penguin populations are under threat as they struggle with disordered breeding seasons, loss of sea ice, and the lack of krill (a major food source).

Climate change doesn’t just affect our world, but every animal in it. And as we lose vast stretches of familiar landscapes, so do we lose our fellow Earthly residents.

This award-winning photograph is from the sixth season, “The Challenge”, of the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) Archive. The Climate Tribe has partnered with HIPA, leveraging the power of photography to inspire global awareness of sustainability and advance climate action.