The Tragic Destruction of Coral Reefs

Talia Vazquez

By 2050, 90% of the world’s coral reefs will be gone if we don’t make a change. What

does this mean for the Earth, its climate, and the humans living on it? (Cormier) Coral reefs are

one of the Earth’s most important physical and ecological components. Coral reefs are vital to

the health of the earth because of their biodiversity, as they are homes to a quarter million

different oceanic species. Not only that, but they protect coastal communities as they lessen the

impact of tropical storms. Why are coral reefs dying? Our effect on the planet and the rising

global climate is to blame. The coral reefs dying will negatively affect the wildlife who call

them home and the humans who rely on the fishing industry and food that comes from them. We

have known about this problem for 30 years, when will we finally start to take action?

In 1998, 16% of the world’s coral reefs had died, in 2016, 70% had died (Cormier).

These numbers will not go down until we become active, the coral reefs cannot save

themselves. It is easy for us to downplay this crisis because we think as individuals it is not our

fault or our problem. This mentality is aiding in the destruction of our coral reefs, and therefore

everyone influenced by them. The death of our coral reefs will cause a huge chain of

displacement, loss of jobs, and food insecurity. Imagine if it was you, and your entire means of

support disappeared, your way of life would be uprooted and would change drastically. Imagine

future generations never being able to see the beautiful coral reefs, simply because nobody cared

enough to make changes. This is not a hopeless situation, it is just a matter of putting in the

work, and especially the money, to save millions of organisms from extinction.
 Coral reefs also play an important role in the global carbon cycle! They absorb and store

carbon dioxide, which can help mitigate the effects of global warming by reducing the amount of

carbon dioxide.

Coral reefs provide about 3-5 tons of fish and shellfish per square mile per year, and the

estimated amount of money made ONLY from tourism is $150-196 million a year (WildCoast

CostaSalvaJe). Not only do coral reefs have ecological importance, but they also are important

to people whose livelihoods depend on the reefs, like hotel workers, snorkel divers, and tour/dive

guides. The death of all coral reefs would have more social implications other than the loss of

jobs. Many people travel to coastal places solely to see the coral reefs, if they are gone, there

will be nothing to see. They also hold heavy cultural significance and recreational value for

many coastal communities and indigenous groups.

Biologists and environmental scientists with the help of government assistance

worldwide can help save the reefs. This is something they have been doing for decades,

human-assisted evolution. Scientists will evaluate which corals have the strongest survivability,

‘breed’ them in the lab, and return them to the wild in hopes of raising the population (Cormier).

Also, scientists are 3D printing coral that closely mimics the shape, texture, and chemical

composition of coral in hopes that it will attract free-floating coral to continue to grow from there

(Boat International).

What can people do at home to help save and protect coral reefs? When visiting coral

reefs, practice safe and instructed diving or snorkeling, and wear coral-safe sunscreen. At home,

a simple and easy step would be to recycle and dispose of your trash properly. Implement

environmentally friendly products into your daily life, and use your car less often. Furthermore,

use less energy, turn the lights off when you leave the room, and use less water (EPA.gov).
Lastly, spread the word, and let people know that in the near future, our oceans will look very

different, and not in a good way.

To conclude, coral reefs are vital to the survival of our Earth, and if we don’t do

something soon, the damage could be irreversible. They are home to many ocean creatures, and

people’s livelihoods depend on them. Saving coral reefs is not only essential for the well-being

of oceanic ecosystems but also for the many benefits they offer to humans and our societies.

Coral reefs are also popular for tourism, as people pay great money to go dive and explore the

beautiful, colorful reefs. If everyone takes small steps at home, it can make a huge difference in

the long-term health of not only our coral reefs but in the health of our Earth. It is not a question

of if we can save the coral reefs, but if we choose to (Cormier).

Citations:

- Cormier, Z. Saving coral. https://www.bbcearth.com/news/saving-coral

- Bellwood, D. R., Hughes, T. P., Folke, C., & Nyström, M. (2004). Confronting the coral

reef crisis. Nature, 429(6994), 827–833. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02691

- Leonie Sophia Van Den Hoek, & Emad K. Bayoumi. (2017). Importance, Destruction

and Recovery of Coral Reefs.

https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Global/importance-destruction-recovery-coral-

reefs.pdf IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences (IOSR-JPBS).

- Kelpsley, A. (2018, June 18). 5 reasons to protect coral Reef ecosystems -WILDCOAST.

https://wildcoast.org/5-reasons-to-protect-coral-reef-ecosystems/

- EPA.gov, (2023, August 31). What EPA is Doing to Protect Coral Reefs - EPA

https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/what-you-can-do-help-protect-coral-reefs