Coral Crisis: Urgent Call for Action to Save Ocean Reefs

The United Nations and coastal countries are urgently calling for increased funding to save the world's coral reefs from devastation due to warming oceans. During a special session at the U.N. COP16 on biodiversity, experts emphasized the dire impacts of climate-induced coral bleaching, urging immediate global action.

During an emergency session at U.N. COP16 talks on biodiversity, global leaders sounded the alarm over the devastating impact of warming oceans on coral reefs. The United Nations, alongside coastal nations, called for urgent financial efforts to stave off further destruction.

Peter Thomson, the U.N. special envoy for oceans, warned that the planet is at a critical juncture where it could lose its first planetary ecosystem—coral reefs. The current bleaching event, marked as the worst on record, threatens 77% of corals, according to NOAA data.

Amid discussions on reef-saving strategies that include curbing overfishing and establishing marine protected areas, the underlying consensus was clear: more funding is essential. Attendees, including Palau's Ilima Kloulchad, stressed the urgency for nations to increase their contributions to the global fund for coral reefs.

(With inputs from agencies.)