Scientists map Caribbean coral reefs to tackle climate change

Scientists have mapped coral reefs in the Caribbean in order to find the most likely survivors of climate change.

The northern shoreline of Cuba has the highest potential to escape destruction from marine heat waves.

The US state of Florida is one of the promising sites.

There are coral reefs in the ocean.

One of the most threatened environments on the planet is made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny creatures.

According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, only 10% to 30% of coral reefs are expected to survive a 1.5C warming. survival prospects plummet if warming is above that.

The research team looked at factors such as heat stress and Hurricane damage. They used this to create a list of coral that are priorities for protection due to their better resilience to climate change.

Locating and managing the places that hold the greatest promise to sustain key species will be critical for helping these precious habitats persist as the planet continues to warm.

The insights are already shaping reef protection efforts to deliver durable, climate-smart protection for the most likely to survive this century.

The scientists say their research shows coral reefs will not survive 2C of warming, meaning urgent greenhouse gas emission reductions are needed to save them for future generations.

The journal published the research.