Earth’s first climate tipping point. The countdown has begun.
Scientists say Earth has crossed its first catastrophic climate tipping point: the mass death of coral reefs. Global temperature has risen about 1.4°C above preindustrial levels, but most reefs can only survive up to around 1.2°C. Beyond that limit, the ocean becomes too hot, and corals expel the algae that keep them alive—a process called bleaching. Because oceans absorb most of the planet’s excess heat, they warm faster than land, leaving reefs with no time to adapt. Once bleaching happens too often, reefs stop recovering and begin to die for good.
Each small rise in global temperature adds new danger. At 1.2°C, reefs begin to die. At 1.5°C, most vanish. Every fraction of a degree unlocks more risk and pushes Earth closer to irreversible change.
Coral reefs are more than sea colors. They support a quarter of all marine species, protect coastlines from storms, and provide food and income for about one billion people. When reefs collapse, fish populations shrink, waves grow stronger, and communities that depend on the sea lose their safety and livelihood.
Experts call this the “first domino.” If coral reefs are falling, others may follow—polar ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest, ocean currents. Each collapse pushes Earth closer to permanent change.
Is there still hope? Some scientists say a few deeper or cooler reefs might survive if we act now. But survival depends on speed—cutting emissions in half before 2030, ending fossil fuel use, and protecting what remains.
The ocean’s message is no longer a warning—it’s a countdown.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
👉 Download Sky-Low on Bandcamp
💿 Just type 0 if you want to download the album for free.
