Pacific gray whales facing ‘catastrophic’ die-off as climate crisis hits food supply

According to The Guardian, Pacific gray whales are suffering what scientists are calling a catastrophic mortality event, as the climate crisis melts the sea ice that sustains their food supply and leaves the animals to starve. Environmental groups say the population has nearly halved, falling from about twenty thousand in twenty nineteen to fewer than thirteen thousand this year, with deaths appearing to accelerate. Ship strikes, oil spills, microplastic pollution, algal blooms and Russian harvesting are also likely contributing. Campaigners are urging the Trump administration to relist the species under the Endangered Species Act, warning it is in very, very serious trouble.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton