Also, notwithstanding the enormous economic changes in China, many of its population still live hard and difficult lives. Penguins in Antarctica do not feature high on the personal radar of someone who is enduring a life of grinding poverty and subsistence living. It is ironic that it is only when people escape from such dire conditions that there is time for them to worry about the environment, and then their increased consumption of resourses contributes greatly towards the problem. With the ongoing economic expansion of SE Asia, China and India the future is not looking too good for any of the polar fauna as the ice melts further.