The Great Barrier Reef, a 25-million-year old world wonder, was once described as magnificent. Now it’s described by Outside Magazine as dead. The 1,400-mile-long reef has been bleached so severely that almost every one of the 2,900 individual reefs have little to no life left. Some of the species that thrived there were over 1,500 species of fish, 450 species of coral, and even 30 species of whales. For 24.999 million years, the Great Barrier Reef did more than live, it flourished. When humans developed modern technology, especially the fossil fuel industry, it’s health quickly declined.

When people mention the Great Barrier Reef, the term “coral bleaching” is talked about frequently. Coral bleaching occurs when the algae that protects the coral itself gets stressed and leaves the coral vulnerable. The algae can become stressed due to many reasons, including climate change and pollution. Once the algae leave, the sun and other things directly hit the coral and it begins to lose its vibrant color making it to more likely to acquire a disease or even die.

Many blame Australians and their ignorance toward the reef. The government in the 1960’s almost let oil and mining companies take over part of the reef for the collection of those resources. The Australian government almost let it happen, but fortunately it didn’t because people were angry and even went on strike to keep the reef.  The Australian government even asked the United Nations to remove the reef from the Climate Change report because they were worried it would decrease tourism. More recently, the Prime Minister has been seen as neglectful by saying that the reef was fine even though there were obvious signs it was dying. As water temperatures increased, more carbon was in the air and was absorbed by the water. The reef’s water became acidic causing the reef to dissolve.

With all of the depressing facts, there is still glimmer of hope. Many sources, scientists, and even average people have stated that although it is dying, it isn’t dead. As of now, ninety-three percent of the reef is bleached. What many people are upset about is that Outside’s article falsely informed people that nothing can be done anymore. This shouldn’t be seen as a funeral for the reef, it should be seen as a warning and a wakeup call. The least people can do is try to save one of the earth’s greatest wonders and ecosystems.

Outsidemagazine.com

CNN.com

Photos Courtesy of http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/18/world/asia/australia-great-barrier-reef-whc/