Coral Reefs Dying From Climate Change

Last week, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reported that coral reefs off the coast of Indonesia are being devastated by unusually warm sea waters. In what is being called "one of the most rapid and destructive coral bleaching events on record" large swaths of coral off the coast of Sumatra have died.Climate change poses a serious threat to coral reefs. Indeed, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) devoted much of the marine ecosystems chapter of its 2007 Report to coral reefs. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists many species of coral on its "red list" of threatened species.
Corals reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. They occupy only one percent of the world's ocean surface but provide a home for 25 percent of all sea life - including fish that millions of people rely on for food.
Ordinarily coral reefs are brightly colored because coral lives in a symbiotic relationship with algae. Coral bleaching occurs when environmental stresses like excessive heat cause coral to expel the algae with which they normally coexist. When this occurs, the coral reefs turn a dull and lifeless grey. If the bleaching is severe enough, the coral die from a lack of the energy and oxygen that the algae provide.
Not only does the increased water temperature associated with global warming jeopardize coral survival, so does the increased ocean acidification caused by excess atmospheric carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world’s oceans. Reefs protect the coastlines of many countries, especially islands, from storm surges. Thus, coral reef losses put small island states, already threatened by rising sea levels associated with climate change , in further jeopardy.
Aside from their coast-protecting and biodiversity promoting utility, coral reefs are also breathtakingly beautiful. The loss of that beauty compounds the biological and ecological losses. If the current rate of loss continues, we may lose 70% of the world's coral reefs in the near future.
This past May, Indian Ocean water temperatures were significantly warmer than usual (about 7 degrees Fahrenheit above average.) The stress associated with warmer water is killing what had been some of the most biodiverse coral reefs in the world. Indeed, the WCS reports that reefs are up to 80 percent bleached, with more colonies expected to die off in the coming months
The loss of these coral reefs (which incidentally were either unaffected or recovering well from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) is a devastating blow to the region, and the world. Not only is the loss of biodiversity a tragedy in itself, but it comes as a tremendous loss to the regions inhabitants, many of whom are impoverished and dependent on the reef for their food and livelihood.
And, unfortunately, rather than a one-off occurrence, this is a harbinger of things to come. As climate change unfolds, the rate and nature of environmental changes will exceed the ability of coral to adapt. The steady warming and acidification of the world’s oceans will pose a threat to reefs around the world, and to the communities that depend on them.
Dr. Caleb McClennen, WCS-Marine Program Director, described the coral die-off as “another unfortunate reminder that international efforts to curb the causes and effects of climate change must be made if these sensitive ecosystems and the vulnerable human communities around the world that depend on them are to adapt and endure.”

"One Ocean, One Climate, One Future"

In 2008, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 63-111, ¶ 171 of which declared June 8 to be World Ocean Day. Although the Resolution contains a laundry list of marine-related issues, it devotes an entire section to preserving the marine environment. In doing so, the General Assembly was recognizing the connection between "sustainable development and management of the resources and uses of the oceans and seas" and the United Nations Millennium Goals.
The Resolution urges states to act on the concerns raised by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about increasing sea temperature, rising sea level, and ocean acidification, (the projections are for reduction in average global surface ocean pH of between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st century) and the critical role that oceans play in mediating global climate.
The Resolution also draws attention to destruction of coral reefs, ocean dumping, overfishing, and the myriad other environmental threats facing the world's oceans. Finally, the Resolution points out that most of the pollution load of the oceans emanates from land-based activities, calls upon States to implement the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.
There are numerous international agreements purporting to protect the oceans. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) creates an international legal framework for all activities in the world's oceans and seas. With regard to the environment, UNCLOS Articles 192 and 194 impose duties "to protect and preserve the marine environment" and to "prevent reduce and control pollution of the marine environment."
Additionally, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (with its 1996 Protocol which bans ocean dumping), the 2004 Ballast Water Convention, the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as numerous regional fisheries agreements all seek to channel state action towards protecting rather than harming the marine environment. Confusion and conflicting reports during the search for the wreckage of the Air France flight 447 underscored just how polluted the oceans have become. Debris and an oil slick initially thought to be from the crash turned out to be routine and wholly unrelated pollution. Indeed, a vast swath of the ocean has become the world's largest trash dump, with plastics routinely killing vulnerable marine mammals, turtles and sea birds.
The United States has one of the world's largest coastline, and claims management jurisdiction over the world's largest exclusive economic zone. It is past time to ratify UNCLOS, and to take a leadership role in protecting and preserving the world's oceans as part of a comprehensive plan to preserve the earth and to promote the welfare of its inhabitants. We do indeed have "one ocean, one climate, one future."

Women of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

Taking nothing from former U.S. Vice President Albert Gore, let's focus for a moment on the international organization that, as of today's announcement, is sharing with him the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
That co-winner is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Since its establishment 19 years ago by the World Meteorological Organization and the U.N. Environment Programme, the Geneva-based IPCC has, in its own words, worked

to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.

The leadership of this 2,000-plus network of scientists includes a number of women. They too share in this prize:
IPCC Working Group I, charged with evaluating scientific aspects of climate change: Dr. Susan Solomon (top right), Senior Scientist, Senior Scientist, Chemical Sciences Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, Co-Chair; Maria T. Martelo, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Caracas, Venezuela, Vice-Chair.
IPCC Working Group II, which examines "the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change, negative and positive consequences of climate change, and options for adapting to it": Dr. Lučka-Kajfež Bogataj (top left), Professor, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Ljublana, Slovenia, Vice-Chair.
IPCC Task Force Bureau: Dr. Thelma Krug (middle right), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espacias, São José dos Campos, Brazil, Co-chair; Dina Kruger (bottom right), Director, Climate Change Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Helen Plume (bottom left), Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand, members.