Marine life on the brink? 96% of coral reefs could face collapse by 2075
A new IUCN assessment warns that 96% of the world's shallow-water coral reefs face collapse by 2075 due to rising ocean temperatures. The report highlights that climate change is the primary driver of this decline, threatening major ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef.
Why it matters
Coral reefs are vital indicators of ocean health and support global biodiversity and coastal communities; their loss would trigger a catastrophic ecological collapse.
Almost all of the world's shallow-water coral reef ecosystems could face collapse by 2075, as rising ocean temperatures and increasingly severe marine heatwaves push some of the planet's richest marine habitats towards a critical tipping point.According to a global assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 96 percent of shallow-water coral reef ecosystems face a critical risk of collapse when projected climate change impacts are taken into account.The findings were announced on the sidelines of a United Nations biodiversity conference in Albania on Thursday, with the IUCN warning that warming oceans and marine heatwaves are pushing coral reef ecosystems towards collapse.The assessment's scientific lead, Mishal Gudka, said the escalating threat should serve as a warning to accelerate conservation efforts rather than trigger despair.“The risk of coral reef collapse is escalating, but this must be a wake-up call rather than a cause for despair,” Gudka said.IUCN director-general Grethel…
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