A devastating three-year heatwave has bleached half of the planet's coral reefs, according to a new study. This record-breaking event, known as the 'Third Global Bleaching Event', has been surpassed by an even more severe crisis - the 'Fourth Event' that began in 2023. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals that 51% of the world's reefs endured moderate or worse bleaching, while 15% experienced significant mortality. This is a staggering acceleration of the impacts of ocean warming on coral reefs, with the near certainty that ongoing warming will cause large-scale, possibly irreversible, degradation of these essential ecosystems. But here's where it gets controversial... While the scientific consensus is that most coral reefs would perish at a warming of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, global temperatures have already exceeded this limit, with an average increase of 1.5C between 2023-2025. This raises the question: Are we already past the tipping point?
