CLIMATE CHANGE
It’s Time To Talk About Global Coral Bleaching
The fourth major global coral bleaching event is not just an environmental problem — it’s a human health and security problem.
I often think back to my PhD field work in Australia. I was studying fossils, but most of my friends were performing their fieldwork at the Great Barrier Reef (I know, what was I thinking!). But among these memories, there’s one I can’t shake: my friends' faces when they returned home from fieldwork after a bleaching event. The coral fields they photographed the year prior looked nothing like their treasured photos. Optimism was drying fast. And despite some recovery, here we are again: coral reefs around the world are in serious trouble.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced the fourth global coral bleaching event on record. This isn’t just an environmental footnote; it’s a loud alarm that should have everyone’s attention. If you care about the ocean, marine life, or even your own future and well-being, coral reefs are a big deal. But why?
