Coral Bleaching Essay Example

Humans cannot procrastinate on climate action any further. Research consistently proves that man made global warming burdens humanity now and will persist in the future. 

Currently, the world is sweltering from record heat each year, with the past seven being the warmest for the planet. Several cities in the United States recorded their hottest years ever. 

While cities face heat, so does the ocean. Coral bleaching is an anomaly caused by the rise in ocean temperatures. During the sixth mass bleaching event since 1998, ongoing right now, coral becomes stressed by the heat and spits out its food supply, starving to death which causes the bleaching. NPR reports that oceans off the Great Barrier Reef are warming up to ​​7 degrees Fahrenheit above average. Scientists say that the reef has lost at least half of its coral.  

Along with heat, natural disasters are on the rise. USA Today reports that U.S. natural disasters amounted to $140 billion in damage, the third-highest ever. The catastrophes killed over 600 Americans in 2021, the most since 2011. And in March 2022, the United States saw the record for most tornado reports shattered. 

Certainly there are several other issues I cannot fit into this article. 

Unfortunately, the future looks even grimmer for these three.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction determined that by 2030, there will be 560 disasters a year. For comparison, there were 400 in 2015. In addition, the report concluded that the world would see 30% more droughts and three times more heat waves. 

And the coral? At the current rate, we will lose up to 90% of coral by 2050 and all coral by 2100. 

Sad to think that we would lose a significant food and income source. Half a billion people and ¼ of marine animals rely on coral for a living. 

Climate change should not be a partisan issue. Quite frankly, the debate should be focused on the consequences, not whether the phenomenon exists or not. How bad? Depends on what actions we take.

Luckily, we do not have to wait for governments to take action. Ordinary people can take steps as well. 

Efforts such as reducing plastic, biking and walking more, or even composting seem small, but overall make a tremendous difference. 

For Earth Day, I interviewed several students and teachers to find what actions they would commit to taking for a greener world. View the slideshow below to see what steps they committed to taking.