Coral reefs at risk of extinction unless global warming effects are curtailed, warns Unesco
Unesco’s World Heritage Centre has said that its listed reefs are likely to disappear by the end of the century unless global CO2 output can be reduced drastically.
Over the last three years, 21 of 29 World Heritage-listed reefs have suffered from severe heat stress, with warming waters devastating the natural wonders, causing usually colorful corals to become white and translucent – a process known as coral bleaching.
According a new report by Unesco, the social, cultural and economic value of the world’s coral reefs has been estimated at US$1tn (€881bn, £774bn) annually. The report also says that climate-related loss of reef ecosystems will total US$500bn (€440.5bn, £387bn) by 2100, with economies reliant on reefs severely affected.
“All properties will experience annual severe bleaching, and thus will cease to host functioning coral reef ecosystems by 2100 unless CO2 emissions are reduced,” said the report.
“Delivering on the Paris Agreement target of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C offers the only opportunity to prevent coral reef decline globally.”
In more recent times a separate study predicted that the Great Barrier Reef in Australia would lose an estimated AU$1bn (£777m, €733m, £618m) in annual tourist revenue should bleaching continue at its current rates. At the Great Barrier Reef, 93 per cent of its coral was affected by the bleaching process last year, with 22 per cent dying as a result.
“The 29 globally significant coral reefs on Unesco’s World Heritage List are facing existential threats, and their loss would be devastating ecologically and economically,” said Dr Mechtild Rossler, director of the World Heritage Centre. “These rainforests of the sea protect coastal communities from flooding and erosion, sustain fishing and tourism businesses, and host a stunning array of marine life.”
Coral bleaching was first recorded in 1983, but the past three years – the hottest globally on record – have been particularly damaging, with 72 per cent of World Heritage-listed reefs affected.
To download the full report, Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Coral Reefs, click here.
Coral Reef world heritage visitor attractions global warming climate change unesco great barrier reef coral bleachingPeru addresses Machu Picchu overcrowding with permit system
New conservation guidelines for Buddha birthplace
Great Barrier Reef bleaching could wash away one million visitors, says report
Unesco and UNWTO team up to launch 2017 as International Year of Sustainable Tourism
Unesco conference explores connection between World Heritage and museums
World's oldest football club bids for World Heritage status
Zaha Hadid Architects triumph in competition to design Saudi cultural centre


James Corner Field Operations creates Highline for London

Esbjerg’s landmark maritime center, designed by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, opens to the public

SEVEN to open world’s first indoor Discovery Adventures centres in Saudi Arabia

Fun and fear drive new Universal attraction concepts for Texas and Las Vegas

Voelker Gray Design creates 10-acre hot springs wellness haven for Atlanta

AIDarchitecten create healing spa for Antwerp's Botanic Sanctuary

Hollaway Studio's Seahive would bring blue health to South-East England

SEVEN to invest US$13bn in developing entertainment destinations across Saudi Arabia

World Spa’s expansive 50,000sq ft urban bathhouse and wellness club opens in Brooklyn

Floating Salmon Eye visitor attraction by Kvorning Design highlights sustainable aquaculture

White Arkitekter's Wood Hotel in Skellefteå Swedish Lapland is climate positive and made from local timber

Nohlab's 'Everything' installation among Noor Riyadh festival highlights

Bob Iger's return to Disney sparks major restructuring focused on creativity and storytelling

Therme Group plans US$200m urban wellbeing resort in South Korea

Digital art installation in Nanjing helps the public keep an eye on exoplanets

First glimpses revealed of flagship Blue Zones Centre in Miami

Warner Bros. and Infinite Reality launch metaverse experiences for live sports fans

Storyland Studios' Nigeria's film city project will break ground in Q1 2023

Canyon Ranch preps for major expansion with new destinations in Austin, Fort Worth and Houston

WilkinsonEyre-designed Battersea Power Station development opens as leisure district following £9bn redevelopment

Healthy cities conference to discuss diversity and inclusivity in urban planning and design

Foster and Partners reveal design for sustainable marine life centre on the Red Sea

Anaheim's US$4bn ocV!BE project approved by planners

Construction marches ahead for Saudi giga-projects Amaala and The Red Sea

HBG Design behind Michigan’s six-storey Aquadome inspired by the sun’s path across the sky

Seventh International Museum Construction Congress to be held in Norway this year

The 'world's most anticipated museum' to finally open this year

Nike's Serena Williams Building, designed by Skylab, follows the concept of flow

Saudi Arabia's Neom mega-development to include 100-mile long 'horizontal skyscraper city'
