The speed with which coral reefs are dying today absolutely dwarfs the glacial pace at which it has taken place in the past. The cost to the human species of the elimination of coral reefs around the planet - in damage to coastal structures from increased wave energy and the loss of marine-based food - will be astronomical.
Possibly. And most leftwing sources support that point of view. Rightwing sources don't.
But will both sides accept conclusions from National Geographic who supports the information in a far right wing publication I post as a source this week:
"Despite the constant hazards that have
devastated coral reefs around the world, some coral communities have still managed to recover and persevere. In a study released Monday, researchers identify 38 coral “oases” that have escaped, resisted, or rebounded from the threats facing these vital marine ecosystems.
An Underdog Story
The future has often been bleak for coral reefs.
Plastic pollution and
overfishing threaten marine ecosystems. As climate change causes the ocean’s temperature to climb, coral reefs undergo mass bleaching events, losing the algae that they rely on for energy. Warmer waters also mean that coral-eating
sea stars survive longer, lay more eggs, and cause more damage. . .
. . .“Coral reefs are in rapid, global decline, but the severity of degradation is not uniform across the board,”
James Guest, a marine biologist from Newcastle University in the U.K. who led the research, says in a press release. “What we have identified are coral reefs that are doing better than their neighbors.”. . .
A new study found "oases" of resilient coral reefs around the world that are beating the odds against warming, pollution, and other impacts.
www.nationalgeographic.com
As for damage to coastal structures, it seems a lot of climate scientists and AGW promoting politicians don't see much of a problem there as they continue to buy very expensive ocean front properties and those properties continue to be the most valuable and coveted overall on the planet.
Yes the planet is warming as it always does after an ice age. It will continue to do so until the next ice age. Maybe adding 7 billion people to the 1 billion who were already here 200 years ago is a factor in that. I don't know. But all 8 billion are here and genocide is not really an option for us yes?
Humankind will do far more damage to the quality of life trying to stop that than it will by helping people adapt to inevitable climate change.