Overview
- The report estimates warm‑water reefs tip at about 1.2°C of global warming (range 1.0–1.5°C), with current heating near 1.4°C.
- A global bleaching event under way since January 2023 has affected roughly 80–84% of reefs, with repeated marine heatwaves limiting recovery.
- Scientists warn further warming increases the likelihood of Amazon dieback, loss of Greenland and West Antarctic ice, and disruption of Atlantic overturning circulation.
- The assessment, involving around 160 scientists from 87 institutions in 23 countries and partly funded by Jeff Bezos’s philanthropic fund, calls for deep emissions cuts, rapid reduction of short‑lived pollutants, expanded carbon removal and governance reforms.
- Some coral experts note uncertainty in exact thresholds and regional variability, highlighting potential refugia and adaptation as ministers convene in Brazil ahead of COP30.