News Climate

Coral collapse signals Earth’s first climate tipping point

These global die-offs are a warning: More tipping points could be reached soon

In this photo, a citizen scientist studies bleached corals off the coast of Thailand in June 2024. Marine heat waves devastated 80 percent of the world's warm water coral reefs in 2024. Projections for warming by 2030 suggest the world's corals are past their tipping point.

A citizen scientist surveys bleached corals around Koh Tao Island in southern Thailand on June 14, 2024. Marine heat waves hit 80 percent of the world’s warm water coral reefs in 2024, causing the worst bleaching and coral die-off on record. It’s the point of no return for coral reefs, researchers say; as global temperatures continue to rise, Earth has officially passed its first climate tipping point.

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/Contributor/Getty Images

By Carolyn Gramling

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

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