Emperor Penguins face a variety of threats, all human-induced.
- Food shortage: Commercial fishing for krill and fish on the Antarctic seas is putting increasing pressure on food chains and food availability for penguin populations. A 2006 report in the journal Science tells us that 29 percent of our fisheries have already collapsed. In addition, the scientists’ projection of current trends shows all of the world's current fisheries collapsing by 2048.
- Tourism: Antarctica is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. Thousands of people visit colonies during the breeding season. The presence of this mass of people can cause stress on the penguins and affect their ability to reproduce. There's also the risk of humans introducing pathogens into the pristine environment, such as bird flu.
- Pollution: Oil pollution kills tens of thousands of penguins every year. Oil spills can cover the penguins' feathers, which they ingest attempting to clean themselves.
- Global warming: Penguins depend on sea ice to hunt, feed and breed. As temperatures rise, the polar regions are the first to feel the effects as sea ice forms later and breaks up earlier. Global warming is believed to be responsible for a 50 percent drop in emperor penguin populations over the last 50 years.