Objective of this blog/Information about coral reefs

We appeal to all members of the public to immediately and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as without reductions, the ongoing damage to coral reefs from global warming will soon be irreversible. Many factors contribute to the ultimate destruction of the world’s coral reefs. Here are some of them.

• Ocean acidification due to increased atmospheric CO2 is accelerating, and will destructively affect the growth strength of some species, such as corals. Reducing CO2 emissions is the only way to prevent further damage to coral reefs.

• Coral reefs are economically, socially, and culturally important, and therefore need to be sustained. (For example, the Great Barrier Reef contributes $6. 9 billion annually to the Australian economy - This economic activity generates more than 65 000 jobs.)

• Climate change, overfishing, and pollution continue to cause massive and accelerating declines in abundance of coral reef species and global changes in reef ecosystems. Even remote and well-managed reefs are under threat from climate change.

• Coral bleaching has greatly increased in frequency and magnitude over the past 30 years due to global warming. For coral reefs, climate change is not some potential future threat – it has already caused enormous damage that will increase in coming years. Bleaching due to climate change has already caused widespread damage to the Great Barrier Reef in 1998 and 2002.

The world has a narrow window of opportunity to save coral reefs from the destruction of extreme climate change. Substantial global reductions of greenhouse gasses must be initiated immediately, not in 10 years. This is our only chance left to save the coral reefs, one of the world’s most beautiful and endangered parts of undersea wildlife. Local action can help to re-build the resilience of reefs, and promote their recovery.

It is critically important to prevent the replacement of corals by algal blooms, by reducing runoff from land and by protecting stocks of herbivorous fishes. However, reefs cannot be “climate-proofed” except through reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Reference: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20072310-16478.html