World's coral reef threatened by global warming
World's coral reef threatened by global warming
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Wednesday, 13, May 2009 12:22
A new report has discovered 30 per cent off the world's coral reefs could disappear unless global leaders take steps to combat climate change.
The WWF launched the report at the World's Oceans Conference in Indonesia today, which shows climate change will seriously threaten the Coral Triangle.
The region of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste currently includes 30 per cent of the world's coral reefs and 76 per cent of it reef building coral species.
Around 100 million people rely on the area for their livelihoods, with the report predicting climate change and overfishing could reduce the regions ability to feed people by 80 per cent.
Emily Lewis-Brown, marine climate change officer at WWF-UK said: "The effects of climate change on the oceans are global and only strong and urgent action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions can hope to mitigate this threat.
"WWF calls on world leaders to agree a strong and fair Global Climate Deal at the UN Climate Conference at Copenhagen in December to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent below 1990 levels, by 2050.
"This deal also needs to provide the necessary support and funding to enable the countries of the Coral Triangle to strengthen the management of their natural resources and protect the lives and livelihoods of their people."
However, the report also shows there is an opportunity to avoid a worst-case scenario in the region if major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are backed up by international investment in strengthening the region's natural environments. Although, even in the best-case scenario, there is likely to be a loss of coral, sea level rise and increased storm activity and drought.
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the University of Queensland, who led the study, added: "In one world scenario, we continue along our current climate trajectory and do little to protect coastal environments from the onslaught of local threats.
"In this world, people see the biological treasures of the Coral Triangle destroyed over the course of the century by rapid increases in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level, while the resilience of coastal environments also deteriorates under faltering coastal management. Poverty increases, food security plummets, economies suffer and coastal people migrate increasingly to urban areas."