Great Barrier Reef Faces Record Temperatures, Urgent Threats

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under severe threat due to record-high ocean temperatures, the highest in over 400 years, driven by climate change. This has led to widespread coral bleaching, where corals expel essential organisms called dinoflagellates, risking death if the stress persists. Despite being the world's largest coral reef system and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the GBR could lose 70-90% of its corals even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C. With projections of global temperatures rising between 1.9°C and 3.2°C by century's end, urgent global action is needed to protect this critical ecosystem, which supports a vast range of marine life and millions of people worldwide.