Great Barrier Reef Faces Severe Bleaching as Climate Change Intensifies
The latest mass bleaching event marks the fifth in eight years, with scientists warning of minimal recovery chances due to escalating ocean temperatures.
- The Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its most severe bleaching event on record, with 80% of the coral around Lizard Island already dead.
- Scientists attribute the frequent and intense bleaching to rising ocean temperatures driven by climate change, dismissing claims that natural phenomena like El Niño are solely responsible.
- Conservation efforts, including coral breeding and relocation, are deemed too small in scale to address the root cause of bleaching.
- The reef's health is crucial for biodiversity and Australia's economy, but its future is jeopardized by inadequate global efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions.
- UNESCO will evaluate whether the ongoing damage to the reef affects its World Heritage Status later this year.
Reuters 