UN says Carib’n coral reefs could die by end of the century
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned that if there aren’t drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the Caribbean and other places around the globe could lose coral reefs by the end of the century.
Caribbean countries like the BVI rely on coral reefs for food, tourism and the protection of coastlines.
In its report title ‘Projections of Future Coral Bleaching Conditions’, UNEP said the loss of coral reefs is linked to rising global temperatures which causes coral bleaching.
“When water temperatures rise, corals expel the vibrant microscopic algae living in their tissues,” UNEP said.
This phenomenon is called coral bleaching – and although bleached corals are still alive, they can recover their algae, if conditions improve.
“However, the loss puts them under increased stressed, and if the bleaching persists, the corals die,” UNEP warned.
It said the last global bleaching event started in 2014 and extended well into 2017.
UNEP said it spread across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, and was “the longest, most pervasive and destructive coral bleaching incident ever recorded”.
“Humanity must act with evidence-based urgency, ambition, and innovation to change the trajectory for this ecosystem, which is the canary in the coal mine for climate’s impact on oceans before it’s too late,” said Leticia Carvalho, head of UNEP’s Marine and Freshwater Branch.
If serious action isn’t taken, the UNEP projects that every one of the world’s reefs will bleach by the end of the century, with annual severe bleaching occurring on average by 2034, nine years ahead of predictions published three years ago.
“This would mark the point of no return for reefs, compromising their ability to supply a range of ecosystem services, including food, coastal protection, medicines, and recreation opportunities,” the report warns.
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More bullshit from the UN. Wasn’t the planet supposed to die by now? I think they had a study that we would all be dead by 2020. The UN has become a useless organization that employees people to sit and do nothing and hire consultants to write reports. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Yup
Fake news by the UN to make themselves feel relevant and needed.
Remember dumb a** VP Gore and his doomsday clock? I’m sorry when did that expire? Insanity…
Yes proper stewardship of the earth is needed but not shoved down our throats. Mania and hype over all of this has been going on for 50 years. Please people stop watching fake Hollywood movies and thinking it to be true.
Gore have his multi-million dollar Jet flying around now. so i guess after making millions by fooling people global warming doe not matter now.
When did this news organization become so lazy that it has to abbreviate Caribbean?
Wtf
The ignorance on this board is astonishing. GO! Outside. Away from your keyboards. Look.
How are the reefs looking around the BVI? Not very well, I’m afraid. While we have seen a bit of recovery in flora and fauna this year, there’s a lot of dead corals and sea life is f a r more scarce than is healthy. Same elsewhere in the region. What are the patterns in the great reefs in terms of bleaching and death zones? Very bad.
Probably because successive Governments continue to pump raw $hit into the sea all around the island, burn open waste, have no drainage plan to deal with sediment run off, and the list goes on and on …… if you are searching for the guilty we need only look in the mirror. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IN THESE ISLANDS HOLD OUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE!!!!!
Our bull$hit Governments CONTINUE touting green this and green that, conserve, protect, recycle, all while trying to look the part they do not give a damn OR DO anything about these matters.
All propaganda to make money and milk the ignorant! Where and what is being done with the environmental levy paced on every tourist?
While serious matters such as this need to be discussed and actioned (whether you believe the UN or not), conservation and environmental action balanced with society’s needs is basic common sense here.
Just too many people in such a small space!
All livings die. It is that simple.
Long before the so called global warming idea came into awareness, corals and other things were changing and dying.
Back in the early sixties, a number of us young boys would dive from Copper Mine point to Handsome spear fishing, on the outside of the main reef where the big boys roam. Recalled that the entire area, from Copper to Handsome, all the coral was completely dead, and it was obviously dead for a very long, long time.
Hence, every time I hear those words, climate change, that area comes to mind. That area and others, have been dead long, long before chatter of climate change about.
Pollutants expelled into nature will affect life on it, but life changes naturally and has been changing since the beginning.
The addition of man and his activities to that equation is just enhancing the change and degradation.
One pressing societal necessity is the availability of decent roads.
The road infrastructure from town to airport is a national disgrace and destroyer of property.
Does the public have to wait another two years, and just before election jumps into high gear, for the government to put an onion skin fix on just to appease the people and get votes?
Nothing, absolutely nothing has been done to the roads since NDP put on an onion skin covering during the last election cycle.
It is quite clear that with the huge amounts spending that is occurring, that this vital necessity is being neglected, the people’s property is taking for granted, and the people’s votes are being taken for granted and even for fools.
This kind of governance has to stop. We should be building a country from the ground up, not the opposite. Where there is no adequate infrastructure development, who will consider investing in your country? No one!
Sadly, the people themselves doesn’t seem to
care, as the car dealers ship centers cannot bring in the models fast enough.
Yet, our roads remain a national disgrace fit only for mule to walk on.
And the BVI continues to dump raw sewage into the sea.