Love in the Time of Coral Reefs

A powerful song by singer songwriter Ruth Mundy - Love in the Time of Coral Reefs

Thank you Ruth. It made me cry, and it made me angry.

Human induced Ocean warming and ocean acidification have doomed coral reef ecosystems and the Great Barrier Reef.


Coral bleaching will occurr every other year by 2034 according to scientists, and coral growth due to ocean acidification is projected to be negative after 2050.

Reef ecosystems are in palliative care from here on in.

Not even if we could stop emissions today with the most ambituous 1.5C decarbonisation pathway plans, could we stop this process due to the inertia in the planetary climate system.

Weep for the reefs, but also weep for ourselves, because we will all be much poorer from their destruction.

Time to get angry at the corporates and politicians who have effectively delayed effective climate action for over 20 years.




Some of my writings from the last 10 years on climate change and the future of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reef ecosystems:

• June 16 2016 - Polling shows most Australians want reef prioritised over coal #ReefElection
• June 16 2016 - Bandaids for an unmitigated reef catastrophe #ReefElection
• May 31, 2016 - Politicians offer token #ausvotes funding to Great Barrier Reef facing extinction. It is a climate emergency
• May 28, 2016 - Australian Government censors UNESCO report on Great Barrier Reef #ReefGate
• April 29, 2016 - Guest Post: Great Barrier Reef bleaching would be almost impossible without climate change
• April 21, 2016 - Coral Bleaching prompts Australian Environment Ministers: Strong and urgent action needed on climate change
• April 21, 2016 - Townsville MP Ewen Jones praises #coal as #Reef suffers massive coral bleaching
• April 11, 2016 - Attenborough on the Great Barrier Reef, sea level rise and climate change
• April 3, 2016 - Labor Premier Palaszczuk approves Adani #coal mine leases furthering reef and #climate destruction
• March 27, 2016 - Massive coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef while Environment Minister applies bandaid funding
• August 2014 - Coral reef ecosystems acidifying 3 times faster than open ocean
• February 11, 2014 - ExClimate: Experiment shows coral reefs in peril in a high CO2 world
• October 2, 2012 - Guest Post: Calls for climate action as Great Barrier Reef suffers major coral loss
• September 22, 2012 - Global Warming imperils coral reefs: 2 degrees warming is too hot say scientists
• March 12, 2012 - Ocean acidification increasing at unprecedented rate not seen in last 300 million years
• December 28, 2009 - Queensland Climate Change Minister spins Climate Destruction of Great Barrier Reef
• December 10, 2009 - Scientist: Extinction threatens Coral Reefs unless CO2 limited to 350ppm
• November 28, 2009 - Marine Scientists call for climate action over Ocean Warming and Acidification
• November 18, 2009 - Scientists call for emissions slashed to save Great Barrier Reef
• February 12, 2009 - Marine Scientists report: Ocean Acidification Accelerating; Severe Damages Imminent
• January 2, 2009 - Coral Reefs and Ocean Biodiversity threatened by Climate Change
• October 25, 2007 - Australia: Marine Scientists Demand Immediate Action on Greenhouse Gas Emissions