Earth in Peril

Coral Reef Bleaching and Ocean Hot Spots, 1997-98
The by-products of human population growth threaten animal species in nearly every habitat on Earth. In the oceans, for example, overfishing has already decimated numerous species, and rising temperatures from global warming, as indicated on the map above, threaten many more animals native to coral reefs, which are home to over 25 percent of all sea creatures. Scientists are alarmed by the recent increase in coral reef "bleaching," a sign of grave ill health, and some have predicted that more than half of the world's reefs may be gone by the year 2030. If that happens, thousands of animal species, and many islands whose shorelines are protected by reefs, will eventually disappear.