Coral Bleaching in the time of Covid-19

Dr Anjani Ganase tells us how Covid-19 can bring us closer to freeing our species from its addiction to consumerism and save natural ecosystems 

Over the past year, Australia has suffered from climate change fueled bush fires that last longer and burn more intensely than ever. In the past weeks, large sections of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are also “burning” under another mass coral bleaching event brought on by abnormally high ocean temperatures. This is the third major bleaching disaster in the recent five years and, as many scientists have predicted, the warming climate has caused an increase in the frequency and intensity of coral bleaching events (and bush fires for that matter) that result in mass mortality and loss to livelihoods. 

Aerial view of bleached coral reefs (seen by the white colouration underwater) on the Great Keppel Islands, Southern Great Barrier Reef. Photo Credit: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

While the bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 largely devastated the northern and central sections of the GBR which are the low latitude tropical areas, this year's bleaching event has devastated reefs from the central to southern section of the GBR usually associated with cooler waters. Never before has the southern portion of the GBR been so severely bleached. The news is demoralizing to marine scientists, who are currently diving and surveying a reef that is over 300,000 km² to determine the extent of the devastation. Unfortunately, the marine scientists already know the results of the survey, as they’ve done this process many times in the recent years and have worked out the pattern: to find out where the corals are bleaching and dying, just follow the trail of hot water. While previous bleaching events that occurred on smaller scales may have raised concerns for other forms of disturbances, such as pollution, a devastation of this scale over a thousand kilometres and including remote pristine reefs, the global warming of our oceans is the only culprit.

Once again, marine scientists are appealing to the Australian government to curb emissions as the only effective solution to prevent the loss of this global treasure. Unfortunately, the government’s response is to pump more funds - millions of dollars - into more research for monitoring, management and restoration methods. However, unless this research is done in tandem with large cuts in carbon emissions, scientists have stated that this will only be delaying the inevitable, as corals continue to die at tremendous scales as ocean temperatures continue to warm at an alarming rate. Some of the more innovative strategies for saving coral reefs including aerosolizing sea water above the water’s surface to create a fog that reflects heat back up into the atmosphere. Other strategies include coral husbandry and selective breeding. While we can be optimistic that there will be tiny pockets of success as a result of such innovation, these strategies are not suitable for preventing widespread biodiversity loss across Australia’s reefs and reefs around the world. By 2050, current climate projections predict up to 70 - 90 % of coral reefs around the world will be lost and we are well on our way of reaching the upper limits of this prediction.

Unlikely solutions from Covid-19

While in quarantine we search online for good news stories to help us through the torment of the invisible threat. Stories shared often include the many ways mother nature seems to be rebounding during the human affliction. Indeed, for certain small-scale stressors this is true, we immediately get to preview the resilience of the natural ecosystems, such as cleaner waterways as a result of reduced waste. Unfortunately, when it comes to the climate and large-scale processes, our lowered emissions will only be a blip in the trajectory, as seen by the ongoing onslaught of coral bleaching, bush fires and extreme cyclones as the result of climate change.

However, there are some revelations from the Covid-19 pandemic that can be used to improve our lives and our planet. Let us use this opportunity to establish what we can live without, especially as consumerism is directly related to the carbon footprint that is currently exceeding the planet’s resource limit. What aspects of our lives are we willing to give up for the sake of the environment and the global community, in the same way we are doing now? This is something to be considered at the individual level as well as nationally and globally.

Job creation will be a major driver for reestablishing our economies after the pandemic is over. This is the time for economists and decision makers to drive plans that consider stimulus packages for green jobs and greener job infrastructure. Many of us realise that we don’t need to travel to work. With the stay at home orders, our technology has allowed us to continue our work routine at home with similar, if not more, efficiency. With the investment of more support structure, such as a home office and sufficient online support, there is no need to sit in traffic for hours.

What are the other benefits of this? Less time in traffic means more time for physical and social activities and to care for our mental health. Higher productivity and innovation are usually associated with working in your own creative space. And when there are social meetings and outings, there is less traffic to contend with. As we reduce carbon emissions globally, these simple transitions free up the subsidies used for oil and gas that can then be used to invest in other green ventures. The pandemic has also revealed the speed at which innovation can occur, given the appropriate incentives. Think about industries currently being adapted for creating personal protective equipment for the medical community, similar adaptations can be made to support environmental conservation and to improve our lives by aligning with our planet’s natural ecosystems. Amazingly, these are the same decisions and actions that we need to help the Great Barrier Reef recover!

References

Great Barrier Reef suffers third mass coral bleaching event in five years https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/25/great-barrier-reef-suffers-third-mass-coral-bleaching-event-in-five-years

Could COVID-19 give rise to a greener global future?

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/a-green-reboot-after-the-pandemic/

Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program - https://www.gbrrestoration.org/home