Environmental scientists predict that 99% of the world’s coral reefs will be decimated by the year 2050 or sooner due to the harmful effects of climate change. These precious corals protect our shores from up to 90 percent of destructive waves and potential flooding. Without them, our oceans would suffer a steep decline and marine life itself would undergo a massive extinction.
Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater and are a very important source of income for millions of people. They also protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, protection, and income. Coral reefs provide jobs for local communities, and protect coastlines from storms and erosion. They are also a source of food and new medicines. Even though there are many reef species that still need to be discovered, coral reefs provide a habitat for over a quarter of the world’s marine life.
Continuously rising heat in the oceans has pushed these corals past their limit. This is causing a widespread decay of global reefs and consequently threatening the lives of people and sea creatures alike. Most corals can only withstand a certain amount of heat due to their narrow temperature tolerance. When temperatures become too warm, corals will release zooxanthellae, a symbiotic algae that lives inside them. This stress response is applied to avoid further damage, but ultimately causes corals to lose an important food source and turn white or “bleached.”
To help save coral reefs, people can recycle and dispose of trash properly. By ensuring that trash on beaches is regulated and not leaving anything behind including cigarette butts, plastic wrappers, and fishing gear. Greenhouse gases increase ocean temperatures which causes coral bleaching. Humans can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that go into the air by refraining from burning fossil fuels and cutting back on the deforestation efforts.
Coral colonies have been documented to live for hundreds or thousands of years. Researchers theorize that our corals could live forever if only the environmental conditions improved. Unfortunately, coral reefs will continue to wither away at a rapid rate unless we decide to take action.
