Rebuild it, shade it, breed it: three tactics to buy time for the Great Barrier Reef
While emissions reduction is the only long-term solution, scientists are testing ways to keep the reef going in a warming world
Can the world’s greatest coral reef system be rescued from the rapid march of the climate crisis?
With global temperatures already about 1C higher than pre-industrial levels, Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef has been through three mass bleaching events in only five years.
Related: Rescuing the Great Barrier Reef: how much can be saved, and how can we do it?
Shading and cooling reefs to cut sunlight or lower ocean temperatures;
Stabilising and rebuilding reef structures damaged from bleaching, cyclones or ocean acidification;
Helping corals adapt to warmer temperatures and then moving their larvae around en masse.
Related: Snow-white coral of once-vibrant Great Barrier Reef a sign urgent action must be taken | Adam Morton
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