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The notion of a catastrophic future for polar wildlife due to climate change has been challenged by the latest Polar Wildlife Report 2022, published by the Global Warming Policy Foundation. The report details that Arctic and Antarctic wildlife continue to thrive, showing no signs of impending population crashes. The news comes as a surprise to many as concerns over melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and the loss of habitats for wildlife have dominated discussions about climate change.

According to the report, there were no reports in 2022 that would suggest that polar wildlife is suffering as a result of reduced sea-ice extent. On the contrary, polar wildlife appears to be thriving due to less summer sea ice, which has increased primary productivity, leading to more food for all animals. While a few Antarctic penguin species and the Antarctic minke whale have experienced a recent decline in abundance, these were unrelated to sea-ice cover in the Southern Ocean.

One of the key findings of the report is that ice-dependent species in the Arctic and Antarctic show no signs of impending population crashes due to the lack of sea ice. This revelation is particularly surprising as computer models of future Antarctic sea ice coverage have long been a concern for sea-ice experts, and biologists concerned about the future of ice-dependent species have continued to use them to justify alarmist predictions.

The report also highlights that critical Antarctic winter sea ice has been increasing since 1979, and while summer ice has slightly declined, overall primary productivity has increased. In the Arctic, summer sea ice has declined since 1979, but coverage has had an overall flat trend since 2007. Nevertheless, coverage was again well below average in the Barents and Chukchi Seas in 2022, where high primary productivity has provided abundant food resources for wildlife.

The Polar Wildlife Report 2022 notes that Atlantic walrus numbers are still low, but recovering in the Barents Sea and eastern North America. A new population estimate of Pacific walruses in 2019 reveals more than 200,000 exist in the Chukchi/Bering Sea area. More killer whales were reported visiting the Eastern Canadian Arctic, and in Alaska and the Western Canadian Arctic, bowhead whales are thriving.

The report acknowledges that krill, which are crucial prey for many species of wildlife, especially huge numbers of great whales and penguins that live or feed in the Southern Ocean, face a significant threat from commercial fishing. The intensification of commercial fishing of krill to feed farmed fish is likely to be the largest conservation threat to local wildlife, given recent geopolitical tensions over effective fisheries management.

While the news of thriving polar wildlife is encouraging, conservationists warn that it is not a sign to become complacent. The report highlights that several albatross and large petrel species are considered vulnerable by the IUCN due to deadly interactions with long-line trawlers fishing for Antarctic toothfish and overfishing of cod-like species and herring-like Antarctic silverfish. Furthermore, emperor penguins, the largest and most ice-dependent penguin species, were classified as ‘Threatened’ on the US Endangered Species List in 2022 and remain ‘Near Threatened’ according to the IUCN Red List because of the large size of their breeding population and the acknowledged uncertainty of future sea-ice predictions.

In conclusion, the Polar Wildlife Report 2022 provides encouraging news of thriving polar wildlife despite the effects of climate change. The report highlights the importance of monitoring and conservation efforts, particularly in protecting vulnerable species and ensuring sustainable fishing practices. It is crucial for policymakers, conservationists, and the public to act now to protect these delicate ecosystems and their inhabitants.