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Scientists Discover 'Most Diverse Coral Site' on Great Barrier Reef
Australian scientists have found the "most diverse coral site" on the Great Barrier Reef, observing at least 195 different species of corals in space no longer than 500 meters, The Guardian reported.
The non-profit organization Great Barrier Reef Legacy and marine scientist Charlie Veron, a world expert on coral reefs, confirmed the diversity of the site, also known as the "Legacy Super Site" on the outer reef.
"To give you an idea of the biodiversity of this special area, onboard expedition photographer ... Justin Gilligan just emerged from a dive stating he spent two hours in just a few square meters—there was just that much to see!" the Great Barrier Reef Legacy wrote in a Facebook post late last month.
Search for Solutions 2018: Video Log 9: Legacy Super Site www.youtube.com
Remarkably, Vernon described the site as "near as can be to an ideal physical environment" even though it is located in an area that was widely impacted by coral bleaching and coral mortality, according to The Guardian. The site has also been unaffected by cyclones or crown-of-thorns starfish that eat coral polyps.
However, Dean Miller, the Great Barrier Reef Legacy science and media director and leader of the expedition, warned that the site could be at risk due to high temperatures this summer, The Guardian reported.
The rise in global temperatures has had a major impact on the Great Barrier Reef. The remarkable but imperiled natural wonder is under risk of repeat coral bleaching events unless greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are slashed.
"We must fight to better understand and safeguard places likes this—they are nature's treasure chests and will be responsible for reseeding coral reefs into the future," the Great Barrier Reef Legacy wrote in an Instagram post about the Legacy Super Site. Fittingly, the post ended with the hashtag "coral not coal."
The Australian government has received criticism from environmentalists over its investments in fossil fuel projects like the controversial Adani coal mine, which not only threaten the Great Barrier Reef, but also impinge on global efforts to reduce carbon.
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'This is a Sick Statement': Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Under Pressure for Anti-Environmental Policies, Blames NGOs for Record Amazon Fires
Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro is giving President Trump a run for his money in the alternative facts department.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made solving the climate crisis the center of his presidential campaign, is dropping out of the 2020 Democratic primary race.
'Work Together' or 'Destroy it': Goldman Prize Winner Francia Márquez on World's Second Deadliest Country For Environmental Activists
In April 2018, Afro-Colombian activist Francia Márquez won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, thanks to her work to retake her community's ancestral territories from illegal gold mining. However, her international recognition comes at a very risky price.
By Stuart Braun
A year after activist Greta Thunberg first stood in the rain outside the Swedish parliament with her now iconic "Skolstrejk för klimatet" — school strike for the climate — placard, the movement she spawned has set the tone for environmental protest action around the world.
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Toy maker Hasbro wants to play in the eco-packaging game. The board game giant will ditch its plastic packaging by 2022. The move means that games like Monopoly, Scrabble and Operation will no longer have shrink wrap, window sheets, plastic bags or elastic bands, as the Associated Press reported.
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Bolsonaro Greenlights New Pesticides While Environmentalists Mourn 500 Million Dead Bees in Brazil
By Jessica Corbett
Pointing to the deaths of more than half a billion bees in Brazil over a period of just four months, beekeepers, experts and activists are raising concerns about the soaring number of new pesticides greenlighted for use by the Brazilian government since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January — and the threat that it poses to pollinators, people and the planet.
By Elliott Negin
On July 19, President Trump hosted Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and their families, along with the family of their deceased colleague Neil Armstrong, at a White House event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon.