Half of Great Barrier Reef Lost in Less than 30 Years

Losing its color

The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system and a UNESCO World Hertiage Site, has lost more than half of its coverage in the last 30 years, according to a new study from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences. Stretching for over 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the reef has been devastated by tropical cyclones, a type of coral-eating starfish, and a bleaching effect that could be a result of global climate change.

The following video from National Geographic explores the Great Barrier Reef and explains the delicate connections that exists among the coral, fish, and other animals that inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

Environmentalist Bill McKibben spoke at an Australian Broadcasting Corporation event on the impact of the world’s “feedback loop” and how damage in one area of the globe can have a profound effect in other areas– damage that may be beyond human control.

The Feedback Loop: Ecological Damage Soon Beyond Control from Australian Broadcasting Corporation on FORA.tv