The Great Barrier Reef at the edge

Scientists thought the Great Barrier Reef was too big to fail. A new study finds otherwise.

Monitoring coral growth and death after mass bleachings in 2016 and 2017, they had expected to see signs of the resilience of nature. Instead, they found for the first time a significant decline in new corals settling on the reef, compromising its capacity to recover.

Takeaway: The study is the first to show the collapse of fundamental ecosystem processes in a marine environment, according to the chief researcher.

Other climate news: More than 40 governments worldwide have now adopted some sort of price on carbon, either through direct taxes on fossil fuels or through cap-and-trade programs. We tracked some notable plans, many of which are still too weak to drive truly deep cuts in emissions.

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