OPINION

COLUMNIST: A great barrier to the reef

The Great Barrier Reef is bleached and dying. Because oceans are heating so quickly, nearly all of the world's corals are projected to be dead by 2050.

Now, however, a handful of entrepreneurial scientists, many of whom have spent their careers studying the reefs that are dying before their eyes, are devising extreme measures to try to save them.

Many of the solutions seem as if they're ripped from some dystopian science fiction novel. There are teams trying to brighten clouds so they reflect more sunlight back to space, others who want to apply floating sunscreen to acres of ocean surface. There are robots programmed to hunt and kill coral predators and groups scouring the globe for "supercorals" or attempting to breed them.

The dedication of these coral experts attempting scientific Hail Marys to save their reefs is inspiring, their technological savvy heroic.

But it's also heartbreaking to realize we've fouled our planet so badly by polluting and warming our oceans that we now must resort to almost fantastical measures to save our reefs. And some of the proposed solutions have raised worries about unintended consequences.

For decades, the world's coral reefs have been subject to all manner of assault including over-fishing, pollution and habitat destruction. But the main enemy of these massive colonies of tiny marine invertebrates is global warming.

Many of the scientists working on imaginative remedies admit the ideas seem crazy. In fact, some of those involved with the coral rescue projects today described them as silly, ridiculous or "out there" just a few years ago. But coral reefs are collapsing so fast that many scientists have shifted into extreme rescue mode.

The work on remedies is moving quickly too, which has caused some alarm. In Australia, environmental lawyers are waving their arms trying to get project leaders to think about regulation, environmental impact and community buy-in before projects progress further.

Because many of the plans, like brightening clouds or dosing reefs with antibiotics, could have global implications, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has also gotten involved, releasing two reports in quick succession on how such work should proceed.

Coral reefs--great, silent underwater ecosystems--are wellsprings of marine life, protectors of coastlines and anchors of a vast, global food chain. And they are on the front lines as our planet warms.

Coral scientists were among the first to warn us that global warming was radically harming our seas and to call for curbing our ravenous appetite for fossil fuels.

But it seems we weren't listening. Now they are once again in the vanguard, plotting out revolutionary measures--many of which could backfire in unexpected ways--to save our reefs, our planet and ourselves.

Editorial on 06/22/2019

Upcoming Events