--- title: Climate Change Expected to Worsen Coral Reef Conditions description: Current climate change trends are expected to worsen already devastating coral reef conditions, a new Nature study finds. canonical: https://time.com/4623632/coral-reef-climate-change/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-05T16:07:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:12:35.822Z article:section: Science og:title: Coral Reef Conditions Are About to Get a Lot Worse og:description: Thanks to climate change og:url: https://time.com/4623632/coral-reef-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b7d54b28b823f8b/6988b477cd1bba921e70381d/coral-reef-bleaching-event.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5663 og:image:height: 3185 og:image:alt: coral reef bleaching event og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Coral Reef Conditions Are About to Get a Lot Worse twitter:description: Thanks to climate change twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b7d54b28b823f8b/6988b477cd1bba921e70381d/coral-reef-bleaching-event.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Coral Reef Conditions Are About to Get a Lot Worse > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=3abeea3a-f85f-4796-89f6-c8ec43cbc2f3&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What is Coral Bleaching? [Watch (HLS stream): What is Coral Bleaching?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jJfzjrZU.m3u8) (1:25)  _Published 2016-09-15. Watch an animated explainer about coral bleaching_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 4:07 PM UTC  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 4:07 PM UTC Last year was a devastating one for [coral reefs](http://time.com/coral/) around the globe, but according to new [research](http://www.nature.com/articles/srep39666), it may have been just the tip of the iceberg. A new study published in the journal _Nature Scientific Reports_ shows that coral bleaching—a process that sometimes precedes death where corals lose their color—will affect 99% of reefs each year by the end of the century if current climate change trends continue. “We are going to need to be much more innovative and proactive if we want to see coral reefs thrive into the next century,” says study co-author Gabby Ahmadia, a marine scientist at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “Conventional conservation is not going to cut it against the impacts of climate change.” **Read More:** [The Great Barrier Reef May Soon Be in Worse Shape Than Scientists Thought](http://time.com/4292505/great-barrier-reef-climate-change/) Bleaching occurs when corals face unusual levels of stress from any of a number of sources including polluted water and other disturbances. Still, high water temperatures due to man-made global warming remains the primary cause in most cases and will be the driving factor going forward. **Read More:** [How Sunscreen Is Helping Destroy Coral Reefs](http://time.com/4080985/sunscreen-coral-reefs/) Coral reefs faced the biggest die-off ever recorded last year, thanks largely to a strong El Niño event aggravated by climate change. One [study](http://time.com/4375553/coral-reefs-bleaching-climate-change/) conducted last summer found that more than a third of corals died in some regions of the Great Barrier Reef, just one of many affected. Countries from across the planet agreed with the [Paris Agreement](http://time.com/4146764/paris-agreement-climate-cop-21/) in 2015 to work to limit global temperature rise to 2°C (3.6°F) by 2100 with an ideal target of 1.5°C (2.7°F). But, even if countries meet their commitments under the agreement, more than 75% of the world’s coral reefs will bleach each year by 2070, according to the new research. ## Transcript [ SOUND ] What is coral bleaching? The corals that make up reefs around the world may look like one giant organism, but they're actually an ecosystem with many small creatures working together. Thousands of tiny jellyfish- like animal called polyps, connect together to form colonies. These colonies host algae which provide corals with food As well as their vivid color through the process of photosynthesis. A combination of global warming, water pollution and other environmental disturbances can stress corals, leading them to expel the tiny algae that they need to survive. The process, called bleaching, leaves only a white skeleton where before there were vibrant colors. Bleached corals aren't necessarily dead. Restoring cool water temperatures or removing pollutants can help fragile corals recover. But without improving conditions, they essentially die. Why should you care about coral bleaching? About 25 % of marine life depends on the habitat created by coral reefs. When 500 million people worldwide rely on reefs for food, tourism, employment, even protection from extreme weather events and nearly $ 30 billion in estimated reef value is at stake. Global bleaching events, once a rarity, are happening more often with greater intensity. We're currently in what scientists say is the worst bleaching event on record and it could last into next year. Unless we do something soon, coral reefs could go from the cradle of marine life To its grave. 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