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I hardly ever let a story about the world’s coral reefs go without mention. The reason is simple: coral reefs may be the proverbial environmental canary in the coal mine.
I’m not a scientist, or an expert on the global ecosystem, so I asked AI to summarize the environmental importance of coral reefs. It returned the following:
▶ Coral reefs protect coastal areas by absorbing 97% of wave energy.
▶ Despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor, they are home to 25% of all known marine species.
▶ They act as nurseries and a refuge for many species.
▶ Coral reefs also serve as filters by breaking down pollutants.
That all sounds important.
Nonetheless, the real question is: can the world survive the demise of all coral reefs?
I asked AI: What is likely to happen if coral reefs disappear? It’s response:
Crickets.
It did refer me to an article from the Coral Restoration Foundation, but reading it was unnecessary to know its answer was dire.
I modified my question to read: What will be the impact to the environment if coral reefs disappear?
To that question is mimicked the benefits of coral reefs in reverse: all the things that coral reefs provide will go away. The answer may have come from an artificial source, but it was far from intelligent.
The “deeper dive” suggested that it would trigger a catastrophic cascade of ecological, economic, and social consequences. The loss of coral reefs would lead to a widespread ecosystem collapse and increased vulnerability for coastal communities worldwide.
That’s more like it.
Do I know if the AI answer is completely accurate?
No, no one does.
It’s all educated speculation, which is why many place little credence in climate science. And that is what prompted the headline.
The world needs indisputable evidence of the negative impacts from climate change. If a group of scientists at the University of Exeter, UK are correct, it may soon get it.
The group’s most recent Global Tipping Points Report 2025 believes that we have reached the tipping point for the survival of coral reefs.
Two years ago, that wasn’t the case. However, since then, the world has experienced the fourth global bleaching event in the last decade, affecting an estimated 84% of the planet’s coral ecosystems.
I often talk about tipping points. The challenge with tipping points is that we can’t say with sufficient certainty when they will occur. That’s why I believe combating climate change should be considered a priority.
If these scientists are correct, we may soon witness the ramifications of the first of many environmental tipping points.
As sad as this may be, sometimes it takes a slap in the face to wake people up to the reality of a problem. The loss of our coral reefs may be that slap.
#coralreef #coralreefs #globalwarming