Climate change: Almost all coral reefs worldwide are threatened with extinction

Consequences of climate change Almost all coral reefs worldwide are at risk of dying As of: October 22, 2026 • 9:34 p.m

Corals provide a home for a wide variety of species in the sea. But the reefs are at considerable risk due to the warming of the seas. A study now shows the full extent.

Due to climate change, almost all coral reefs are at risk of dying off in the next 50 years. This is the result of a forecast by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which it presented on the sidelines of the currently ongoing UN species conservation conference in Armenia. There is an “extremely increased risk” of 96 percent of coral reefs in the world’s oceans dying by 2075, the analysis said.

The assessment assessed the condition and development of coral reefs off the coasts of more than 80 countries and territories. The scientists used the "medium" scenario of the UN Climate Council as a basis, which predicts global warming of 2.7 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels by the year 2100. The target of 1.5 degrees that the global community was actually aiming for is now considered almost unattainable.

“Heat stress from climate change is the most persistent threat driving coral reef decline worldwide,” the International Union for Conservation of Nature said. In addition, overfishing, coastal development, environmental pollution, tourism and increasingly frequent storms due to climate change were also named as damaging factors.

Corals form natural barriers against erosion and, as ecosystems, offer great biodiversity. However, they are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. If the water gets too warm, they reject the microalgae that live in their tissue and feed them. They fade and often die. Heat waves in the sea are becoming more and more common due to climate change.

Severe bleaching is becoming more common - and the time to recover is becoming increasingly shorter. more

Parts affected include parts of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, the coral triangle in the western Pacific and Southeast Asia, the Mesoamerican reef system and the reefs in the Red Sea. These are the world's largest and most species-rich reefs.

The IUCN is an umbrella organization of numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of nature and species conservation. The analysis now presented was the first global study of its kind.

This topic in the program: BR24 Radio | News | Oct 22, 2026 | 2:38 p.m