Source - http://1.bp.blogspot.com
Most people probably know of the incredible Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Many (most?) probably don't know that we lost 29% of the reef in 2016 alone, due to the rising ocean temperatures resulting from the 'Greenhouse Effect' on our planet. It's estimated that in 30 years time nearly 100% of the world's coral reefs will be gone - DEAD!! The coral reefs support approximately 25% of the ocean creatures, either directly, or indirectly. This won't affect just ocean life however, it will affect many millions of people.
Truthfully, we can only speculate at the devastating consequences the total destruction of these amazing ecosystems will have on so much life on the planet. It's probably safe to say that if things continue on their present course, there will be many other ecosystems at risk (or gone) also, in that same time span. How many can we afford to lose before the planet can no longer support the huge number of humans that inhabit this world? There's an old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and although the first images here aren't of the same reef, they do portray the 'Before-and-After' quite well. The third image shows the speed at which this horror is occurring.
More than could be briefly written here, or that many still images could tell, the documentary film, "Chasing Coral" is a thought-provoking movie that every citizen of planet Earth should be forced to view. It's enlightening, educational, and EXTREMELY disturbing.
The excellent documentary can be seen on Netflix
TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!
P.S. If it weren't for our incredible oceans absorbing most of the heat from 'Climate Change,' the temperatures have been estimated to average around 122 degrees Fahrenheit!!
Source - DocAquarium.com
Source - GlobalCoralBleaching.com
