This clearly demonstrates why Australia in particular must show true leadership and take decisive action at the Bali summit by committing to a significant reduction in carbon emissions rather than waiting upon the results of the economic study from next year's Garnaut report.

It would be truly ironic and tragic if Australia's belated ratification of the Kyoto Protocol resulted in a setback to the global committment to reduce emissions by preventing agreement across the board due to further needless pontification.

If these so-called facts are true, and that is open to debate, maybe it's just a case of too many whales eating too much krill. So, what do we do? Support the killing of whales to help the penguins survive, or let them find their natural level while allowing the whales to do the same?

It seems the only species on the planet NOT failing in population is the human one. Our lot appear to be increasing to the detriment of the planet and the animal kingdom.

Perhaps the Earth is facing an extinction event ... and global warning is simply a precursor to what is coming. How would we know? So far, we haven't actually lived through one yet ... well, not in our present form.

The Earth is a living organism and is due to go through one of its periodic shifts in axis and geologic change I think. The extinction threat faces too many species to be seen as anything else.

You realise it may be the time to get out your boards and hit the streets ... because maybe, well just maybe the End Is Nigh for a change??

... Yes, overfishing and the banning of whaling result in a drop in penguin numbers so we have to cut our emissions dramatically.

Huh? But then, there is seldom much rational basis to Greens' argument!

Well I guess the penguins are f...ed then cos no-one is going to do anything about it!

I used to work in a zoo as a driver.

One year we had a virus hit the penguins and one of our Emperor penguins kicked the bucket.

I was told to take the thing for autopsy - now I wasn't going to waste the opportunity and so stuck Mr penguin in the passenger seat of my van - with a seat belt of course and drove off to the Department of Agriculture's morgue - lots of weird looks from other drivers.

3. Boy Wonder

Actually, rats and cockroaches are doing pretty well as well.

We are facing one the six great extinction events in world history - indeed it has already started. The last one was 65 million year ago, when dinosaurs and ammonites disappeared. [There was probably another smaller one about 55 million years ago caused by global warming].

But it is unlikely to be caused by shifts in the Earth's axis and geologic change. The Earth's axis does not suddenly change - it wobbles and precesses in a regular and predictable way. It is conceivable that human impacts - eg the total loss of the Greenland ice cap - could cause geological changes, but that is not what is causing extinctions (at least yet).

There are five main causes of of the present extinction event:
1. habitat destruction
2. over hunting/fishing
3. pollution
4. invasive species
5. climate change.

All (except possible 4.), as Boy Wonder correctly implies, are directly related to too many humans. If you are young, and you want to do your bit, don't have so many children and don't start having them too early.

No. 8:- I seem to remember seeing a programme that was suggesting the earths axis could shift drastically, or flip upside down or something. Anybody else remember what it was about?

9. Nell

I think you may be referring to a change in the Earth's magnetic field, such that the magnetic north pole becomes "south" and vice versa.
Recent research with supercomputers has suggested that this would not be a simple switch, but that there would be a transition period of great confusion of the magnetic field, with several north and south poles around the globe. Goodness knows what effect that would have on life on Earth, but I suppose we must hope it doesn't happen whilst we have all these other problems. I cannot see any way in which human actions could influence this event, so there is no particular reason to believe it is imminent.

Slioch:- I think thats what I saw.
So those Clarks commando shoes with the compass in the heel will be no good!
Damn.

Hmm ...

Yes, the whales control the wind and melt the ice with their secret superior sub-sea technologies. They are probably teleporting baby Penguins, directly into their mouths.

Whales have also developed immunity to climate change, though I could be wrong about all this.

-mu

Any species that were designed to drag their testicals along ice and snow, were always on a hiding to nothing!

13. AJ of Fife

"Any species that were designed to drag their testicals along ice and snow, were always on a hiding to nothing!"

Not to mention those that couldn't even spell them!

Slioch,

Ouch! :-)

#14 - Slioch, Scottish Highlands

ROTFLMAO ... Best one thus far today. Thanks.

Cheers,
Haggis MacBagpipes™©

#15. Jacqueline ... are you saying the situation is overkrill?

Jcqueline, got any evidence to support your contention that human activities are affecting ocean currents "temperature, intensity, direction"?

Its a new one on me. Pollution and acidification by CO2 absorption are affecting the chemistry, and the issue here is not that there are lots of Krill, rather that they are not accessible to penguins. Of course global warming is causing the oceans to warm, but you don't seem to think that is a threat...

Interestingly ... my nephew just brought Happy Feet round for my family to watch tonight. That's about an Emperor Penguin ... that tap-dances.

Well I suppose this story makes a change from reading about their "friends" in the North, the POLAR BEARS although I heard a pengion expert being interviewed on the telly from Edinburgh Zoo this morning and she seemed to suggest that this was a complete none story. Another one of those WWF moments again no doubt. Why does that not surprise me!

#5 Given it would seem you can manage to get the wrapper off to eat and enjoy a penguin .........can I assume you ain't no polar bear.

Numbers I want to hear numbers. Its' easy to make broad sweeping statements but without facts and verifiable figures all we have is 'hot air'.
Ive heard americans protesting about the possible extinction of the kangaroo, a laughable claim that simply demonstrates their total ignorance of the facts.
So its' numbers and documented, published peer, reveiwed research or shut up!

Warmer waters release CO2
and the atmosphere is cooling according to NASA we're back to 83 temps.

save the earth abort babies, according to Slioch

Hudson bay frozen 20 days earlier than last year. If this is Global warming I would hate to see Global Cooling.