Parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef show highest coral cover in 36 years
NBCDec 26, 2022
The Facts
A new report from the Australian Institute of Marine Science says coral cover in some areas of the Great Barrier Reef is the highest in 36 years.
From Aug. 2021 to May 2022, the central and northern regions of the reef experienced some recovery while the hard coral cover in the southern region decreased due to an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish [which are destructive to coral].
The Spin
Narrative A
Although this year showed a rebound in coral levels in some areas of the Great Barrier Reef, the reef is far from being in the clear. It's only one summer away from a reversal of the new coral growth, and climate change will likely cause an increase in cyclones, coral bleaching, and other threats to the habitat.
Narrative B
The numbers don't back up the claims of climate alarmists when it comes to coral reefs. The risk of coral extinction is much smaller than originally feared because scientists have discovered that there are half a trillion corals worldwide - about the same number as birds on Earth. Coral is resilient and bouncing back in the Great Barrier reef, and even modest warming doesn't pose a serious extinction threat.
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