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MEDIA: Will 2026 be the year when coral reefs pass their tipping point?
06 January 2026
PML’s Dr Samantha Garrard writes for The Conversation UK on what the year ahead could mean for coral reefs.
“Tropical coral reefs cover less than 1% of the seafloor, yet support 25% of all marine species. They are also incredibly vulnerable. Over the past few decades, an estimated 30%-50% have already been lost.
Yet we are approaching a terrifying threshold. After record-breaking ocean heatwaves of 2023-24, which saw coral “bleaching” in at least 83 countries, scientists are looking towards 2026 with growing dread.
The question is whether this will be the year a global tipping point is reached for warm-water coral – a point beyond which their fate is sealed, and even the most resilient species can no longer recover.”
[Excerpt from The Conversation UK]
