Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will still be catastrophic for coral reefs, new research suggests.
Researchers in the School of Biology at the University of Leeds have discovered that more than 90% of tropical coral reefs will suffer frequent heat stress – their number one threat – even under Paris Agreement climate warming limits.
The 2015 agreement saw 191 countries and the EU sign up to a collective aim of keeping global average temperatures to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit heating to 1.5°C.
The new research produced by the Leeds biology department scientists suggests that the future of coral under 1.5c heating is even worse than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which reported in 2018 that such a level would cause 70% to 90% of coral reefs to be destroyed. Coral reef survival will require significant and urgent action globally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more at University of Leeds
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