Climate Change Is Devastating Coral Reefs Worldwide,
Major Report Says
By Catrin Einhorn, 10/4/21, NY Times

The world lost about 14% of its coral reefs in the
decade after 2009, mainly because of climate change,
acc. to a sweeping int'l report on the state of the
world’s corals.

The report, issued late Monday, underscores the
catastrophic consequences of global warming while also
offering some hope that some coral reefs can be saved
if humans move quickly to rein in greenhouse gases.

“Coral reefs are the canary in the coal mine telling
us how quickly it can go wrong,” said David Obura,
one of the rpt’s editors & chairman of the coral
specialist group for the Int'l Union for
Conservation of Nature.

The 14% decline, he said, was cause for deep concern.
“In finance, we worry about 0.5% declines & 0.5% changes
in employment & interest rates.”

Esp. alarming, the rpt’s editors said, is the trajectory.
The 1st global bleaching event occurred in 1998, but many
reefs bounced back. That no longer appears to be the case.

“Since 2009, it’s a constant decline at the global level,”
said Serge Planes, a research scientist at the Ctr for
Island Research & Observatory of the Environment in
Moorea, French Polynesia, who also edited the report.

While coral reefs cover a tiny fraction of the ocean
floor, they provide outsized benefits to people. Their
fish supply a critical protein source to hundreds of
millions of people. Their limestone branches protect
coasts from storms. Their beauty supports billions of
dollars in tourism. Collectively, they support an est.
$2.7 trillion per year in goods & services, acc. to the
report, which was issued by the Int'l Coral Reef
Initiative, a partnership of countries & orgs that
works to protect the world’s coral reefs.

Perhaps 900 species of coral exist, & the researchers
noted that some appear more resilient to the heat &
acidification that accompany climate change.
Unfortunately, those tend to be slower-growing & not the
more familiar, reef-building varieties that support
the richest biodiversity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/climate/coral-reefs-climate-change.html

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