CALI, Colombia — On Wednesday, a pressing plea was issued by the United Nations, scientific communities, and various governments for heightened financial support aimed at safeguarding coral reefs that are facing extinction threats.
A recent study revealed that an alarming 77% of the planet’s coral reefs are experiencing bleaching, a phenomenon largely attributed to the rising temperatures of ocean waters caused by human-induced climate change. This marks the largest and fourth occurrence of global mass bleaching recorded, affecting both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, according to the United Nations Capital Development Fund.
The urgency of these findings led to an unprecedented U.N. emergency session, typically reserved for escalating conflicts or natural calamities, dedicated solely to the plight of corals. This session was held on the sidelines of the ongoing U.N. biodiversity summit, known as COP16, which is nearing its conclusion after two weeks of discussions in Cali, Colombia.
Coral reefs are crucial ecosystems, providing a habitat for over 25% of marine species and serving nearly a billion people who depend on them for food security, livelihood, and coastal defense, as highlighted by the U.N. development fund.
Following the emergency meeting, the nations of New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France collectively committed approximately $30 million to the U.N. fund for coral reefs, which was established in 2020. The goal of this fund is to mobilize up to $3 billion in combined public and private financial resources aimed at preserving coral reef ecosystems by the year 2030. Currently, about $225 million has been raised.
“Safeguarding our oceans and their invaluable habitats is essential for sustaining life on our planet,” remarked Mary Creagh, the U.K. Minister for Nature. “Without immediate intervention, the world’s coral reefs risk complete extinction due to global heat, acidity, disease, and pollution; this vital ecosystem could vanish during our lifetimes.”
An upcoming U.N. ocean conference scheduled for next year in Nice, France, is encouraging countries to make additional pledges towards the U.N. global fund for coral reefs, with a target of raising an extra $150 million in donations before the conference convenes.
“The year 2024 marked climate change and other anthropogenic factors triggering the fourth massive coral bleaching event, which stands as the most extensive and devastating on record,” stated Peter Thomson, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean. “As the opportunity to protect these vital ecosystems dwindles rapidly, it is imperative for world leaders to take action now.”
Thomson further emphasized, “We must secure a sustainable future for coral reefs and the countless lives dependent upon them — before it becomes too late.”
Variations in water temperature can compel corals to expel the algae that provide them food, resulting in a loss of color and increased stress. Aside from rising temperatures, coral bleaching can occur due to factors such as exceptionally low tides, pollution, or excessive sunlight exposure.
Within the largest coral reef system, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a staggering 90% of the coral surveyed in 2022 experienced bleaching. Similarly, the Florida Coral Reef, the third-largest global reef, also faced significant bleaching incidents last year.
Notably, the first recorded mass bleaching event occurred in 1998, followed by subsequent events from 2011 to 2013, and again in 2016, as noted by Kenyan marine ecologist David Obura, who leads Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean East Africa.
“These events are lasting more than a year, which is concerning,” Obura added during the U.N. emergency session at COP16.