What Can Be Done to Save Coral Reefs?
MANY scientists from around the world believe that global warming is here and that it will continue to worsen as developing countries push forward in industrial development. Some three billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) are spewed out annually into the global atmosphere through the burning of fuels, such as coal, oil, and wood, for energy, and through deforestation burning. According to some scientists, the so-called greenhouse effect, resulting from the gases of fuel combustion, threatens to warm the atmosphere 3 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit by the middle of the next century. This increase would be fatal to corals and the reef communities.
But the death of the coral reefs would also adversely affect terrestrial life. Natural History magazine observed: “The coral reefs, however, are themselves key players in the greenhouse scenario and may be as important as tropical rain forests in reducing greenhouse gases. As they deposit calcium carbonate for their skeletons, corals remove a large volume of CO2 from the oceans. Without zooxanthellae [coral’s symbiotic-resident algae], the amount of carbon dioxide corals metabolize is drastically reduced. Ironically, damage to this undersea ecosystem could accelerate the very process that hastens its demise.”
Some scientists believe that other gases released by combustion add to the greenhouse effect. Nitrous oxide for one, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for another. In fact, each CFC molecule is 20,000 times as efficient at trapping heat as one molecule of CO2. CFCs have also been targeted as the main cause for the thinning of the ozone layer, which protects life on earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The ozone at the North Pole and the South Pole has thinned sufficiently to cause holes. That is more bad news for corals. Experiments exposing miniature coral reefs that were already stressed by warm water to tiny increases in ultraviolet light aggravated bleaching. The magazine Scientific American ruefully observed: “Even if chlorofluorocarbon emissions stopped today, chemical reactions causing the destruction of stratospheric ozone would continue for at least a century. The reason is simple: the compounds remain that long in the atmosphere and would continue to diffuse into the stratosphere from the tropospheric reservoir long after emissions had ceased.”
On a personal level, individuals can act responsibly by not contaminating the oceans or coastal areas with litter or pollutants. If you visit a reef, follow instructions not to touch or stand on coral. Don’t take or buy coral souvenirs. If boating near tropical reefs, set anchor on sandy bottoms or floating moorings supplied by marine authorities. Don’t speed or churn up the bottom with your boat propeller. Don’t discharge boat sewage into the ocean; find docks and marinas that will accept it. Bill Causey, manager of the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary (Florida, U.S.A.), noted: “Man is probably creating the problem that causes the imbalance. We have to become conscious of it globally. If we continue to heighten public awareness of the threat of losing a major ecosystem, then maybe we can change things.”
On a regional level, laws to protect coral reefs are being passed and enforced. The state of Florida sues owners of ships that damage its reefs. The owners of a freighter that plowed up several acres of coral when it ran aground paid a $6-million fine. Part of the money was used to restore the marine habitat. Presently, using special adhesives, biologists are attempting to reattach coral that was damaged by a ship in 1994. Another fine, of $3.2 million, was levied against a company for damages done to a Florida reef by one of its freighters. Other countries are enacting similar sanctions. Popular sites for diving, such as the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, have limited areas where diving is permitted. Australia created its Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to control activities there. But as all have seen, the more divers, the more damage to the reefs.
Will All Nations Join the Fight?
On a global level, alarmed scientists and leaders conclude that the solution is beyond one nation or even a group of nations. Pollution is carried around the globe by circling currents of air and water, impacting the reefs. Individual nations have no jurisdiction beyond their territorial waters. Pollutants dumped on the high seas eventually end up on the shores. A unified global effort and solution are needed.
No doubt many sincere and capable people in the world will continue to struggle to save earth’s awesome coral treasures. A world government that is sensitive to and cares for earth’s environment is clearly and desperately needed. Happily, the Creator himself will rescue the global environment. When God made the first humans, he said: “Let them have in subjection the fish [and all marine life] of the sea.” (Genesis 1:26) Since God didn’t abuse or exploit marine life, his mandate to mankind must have meant that man should care for the global environment. The Bible foretells: “There are new heavens [God’s heavenly Kingdom] and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13) In the near future, that heavenly government will completely cleanse this polluted earth, including its oceans. Then, citizens of God’s Kingdom will care for and enjoy the beautiful oceans and their marine inhabitants to the full.
[Pictures on page 18]
Background: A beautiful coral reef in the Pacific Ocean, near Fiji
Insets: 1. An underwater close-up of a clown fish, 2. coral that looks like a table, 3. a cleaning shrimp on coral
[Credit Line]
Page 18 background: Fiji Visitors Bureau