The Great Barrier Reef faces its biggest threat in centuries
Bleached coral in the Great Barrier Reef in 2024. | Photo: Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
The Great Barrier Reef and surrounding waters have reached hotter temperatures over the past decade than they have in at least 400 years because of climate change, according to new research published in the journal Nature.
It’s a stark warning. The survival of the Great Barrier Reef is essentially now in human hands. Corals around the world face near extinction if temperatures continue to rise with the world running primarily on fossil fuels.
“The reef is in danger, and if we don’t divert from our current course, our generation will likely witness the demise of one of Earth’s great natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef,” Benjamin Henley, lead author of the research and a lecturer at the University of Melbourne…