China has blocked efforts to step up the protection of emperor penguins, which are increasingly threatened by the effects global warming is having on their natural habitat in Antarctica. Photo / AP
China has blocked efforts to step up protection of emperor penguins that are increasingly threatened by the effects global warming is having on their natural habitat in Antarctica, officials said Friday.
Dozens of countries had backed giving the world's largest penguins special protection status at a 10-day meeting in Berlin
of parties to the Antarctic Treaty. The treaty was forged in 1959 to ensure that the continent remains the preserve of science, and free of arms.
"An overwhelming majority of parties held the opinion that there is sufficient scientific evidence for the species to be put under the special protection," the German Government, which hosted the May 22-June 2 meeting, said in a statement.
While a formal decision was "blocked by one party", it said most countries attending the meeting planned nevertheless to put in place national measures to protect emperor penguins.
Chinese officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment. But delegates attending the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Beijing had made clear it wanted more time to consider the implications of upgrading the protection status of the penguins.
