Coral Reefs Pass the Climate Tipping Point

The Earth's first climate tipping point -- when human-induced climate change will trigger irreversible planetary changes -- has arrived.

The second "Global Tipping Points" report published by the University of Exeter found that warm-water coral reefs are passing their tipping point. Rising ocean temperatures, acidification, overfishing, and pollution are combining to cause coral bleaching and mortality, meaning that a large number of coral reefs will be lost unless the global temperature returns to 1°C warming or below. Unfortunately, the planet is predicted to cross the 1.5°C threshold within the next 5 years, according to a report from the World Meteorological Organization.

"We've seen 80% of coral reefs experience unprecedented heat waves, bleaching events, and die back," says Tim Linton, the lead author of the Exeter report. The widespread collapse of reef ecosystems would be devastating for marine and human life -- reefs help support fisheries and protect coastlines from storm surges and rising sea levels.

The U.S. did not send any high-level representatives to this year's COP30 summit, which took place in Brazil in mid-November. That's consistent with the Trump administration's stance on climate change, which the president has dismissed as a "con job." It certainly has conned him.

© from an article by Simmone Shah, TIMEUSA