Coral Reefs Gone by 2100?

This post is part of our participation in Blog Action Day 2010, which is on the topic of Water.

A recent report out by the Institute of Physics (IOP) finds that weak global climate change targets are likely to result in all coral reefs dying off by 2100.

The great importance of this matter is, in my opinion, one of the hardest things to convey to people.

Coral reefs are not just pretty things to visit and admire if you have the chance. They are a major source of life on our planet.

Coral Reefs — More Valuable than You Think

Coral reefs “protect coastal areas from severe hurricanes and storms, and generate 27 times more income than global fisheries,” and they are a source of food for over 1 billion people. 50% of current cancer research is based on chemical compounds from species found on coral reefs.

Ocean Acidification

If you’re not familiar with ocean acidification, it is a huge topic perhaps as important as or even more important than global warming. Dramatic increases in CO2 are warming our planet, but they are also acidifying our oceans. Greater ocean acidity is a great threat to corals, other marine life, and all the food chains that rely on them.

The following is one of the best videos on any subject I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend watching it.

How Many People Could Survive the Collapse of Coral Reefs?

“This is a global crisis. We all receive direct or indirect benefits from healthy coral reef ecosystems,” says Rick MacPherson, Conservation Programs Director at the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL).

“If coral reefs collapse, the life support system of many nations collapse as well. What we potentially face is a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportion.”

This is a critical topic. And again, just like with limiting the effects of global warming, we need to take action now to cut our carbon, especially by switching to clean energy, using green transportation, and eating vegetarian or vegan.

Related Stories:
1) Climate Projections are Not Safe
2) Massive Coral Die-Off From Spike in Ocean Temperatures off Coast of Indonesia
3) World’s Marine Plankton in Peril – 40% Decline Since 1950

Photo Credit: thinkpanama

9 thoughts on “Coral Reefs Gone by 2100?”

  1. A Denier Manifesto:

    I refuse to sell my soul on the CO2 issue. The new energy we need now is love, not windmills. I am a progressive-liberal and a former CO2 theory believer and now a part of the rising wave of GREEN “CO2 fear mongering” deniers. I suggest you faded doomers do the same. The Carbon issue was our Iraq War of WMD lies and obviously, as we see now, wasn’t sustainable with the consensus that counts, with the voters.. So were we the new neocons. We told our kids they wouldn’t have children because there was a climate emergency that “they” needed to fight it to survive. We acted like fear mongering climate cowards condemning our children’s future to a “Death by CO2“. Climate change has done to us what Bush did to the Republican neocons. Are you embarrassed yet? Good. Now it’s safe to say that climatologists and journalists were to science and journalism what abusive priests were to the Catholic Church. Worse still, the Green movement hated “ANYONE” with money, wealth and waste. Not just Jews, as the “you know who’s” did.
    Preserve, protect and respect the planet, not save and rescue it from a false war.
    We should have stopped spreading fear and lies like we were Bush Jr. babies and instead lead by example for our kids by facing the future with courage, not fear!
    Lets’ be REAL liberals again: SYSTEM CHANGE, NOT CLIMATE CHANGE.
    Birth Control, not Climate Control.

    1. @Meme Mine: i’m sorry that you are out of touch with the findings of true and honest and consistently supported (by independent scientific reviewers) climate scientists. the science is clear… we are effecting massive global climate change that will threaten the lives of our children and grandchildren…

      furthermore, the effects are not only being seen on land, they are already being seen very clearly in the oceans.

      they are being seen in numerous places, and yet “deniers” want to say that one or two debatable points (out of hundreds) or one or two natural influences (completely minor compared to human influences) make the scientific findings nothing worth paying attention to.

      it is a great shame that the American public is so poorly educated on this matter.

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