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Leaders
14-07-2025
- Business
- Leaders
Saudi Reef Celebrates Graduation of 20 Projects from Rural Entrepreneurship Program
The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, known as Saudi Reef, has celebrated the graduation of 20 innovative projects from its Rural Entrepreneurship Program. These projects emerged from two specialized business incubators dedicated to agritourism and rural development, representing a key milestone in the program's mission to foster entrepreneurship across eight priority sectors. Empowering Rural Communities Saudi Reef spokesperson Majid Al-Buraikan highlighted the significance of the achievement, noting that the graduating projects are poised to make a meaningful impact on rural economies. He emphasized that the initiative is helping to empower rural communities by promoting innovative business models, generating new income streams, and creating job opportunities for small-scale producers. Al-Buraikan also shared that the program hosted eight training camps across various regions of the Kingdom, engaging over 200 entrepreneurial projects and ideas in rural tourism, agricultural ventures, and value-added processing industries. Education, Sustainability A core focus of Saudi Reef has been on educating small farmers and producers, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in entrepreneurship and maintain sustainable production practices. Looking ahead, the program aims to expand its reach by including additional regions in future phases. Related Topics: 10th Saudi Relief Plane Departs to Gaza with 35 Tons of Essential Supplies Saudi Arabia Hosts 'Handling Expo 2025' Event for First Time Assuming ICRI Secretariat: Saudi Arabia Drives Global Coral Reef Conservation Saudi Reef Unveils Initiative to Promote Rural Tourism in Taif Short link : Post Views: 5 Related Stories
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Coral Reefs Are Bleaching More Than Ever Right Now
Last week, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global partnership and forum of 100-plus governments, NGOs, and other entities working toward the preservation of the world's coral reefs and their associated ecosystems, announced that it has recorded the worst coral bleaching event on record, with 84% of the world's reefs showing effects. Coral bleaching is a broad term conceived back in 1998 after the phenomenon was first widely noticed—or at least seriously and widely recognized—that essentially describes critically stressed corals, which turn white due to inhospitable changes in temperature and pH level, among other things. The fourth global bleaching event on record since 1998, the current crisis, first announced in 2023, has just seriously outdone the previous event from 2014-2017 and affected about two-thirds of the world's reefs. This current crisis is blamed on the average of ocean temperatures away from the poles, which has seen back-to-back record highs just at or above the 2.7-degree Fahrenheit (1.5-degree-Celsius) 'warming limit' above 'pre-industrial,' or average global ocean temperatures between 1850 and 1900 A.D., as called for by the 2015 Paris World Meteorological Organization (WMO) averaged figures from six international data sets for a composite temperature rise of nearly 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1.55 Celsius). This six-piece data set included various government and non-governmental bodies including the NOAA and NASA in the U.S., The E.U.'s Copernicus team, Japan, the U.K., and the privately funded Berkeley Earth, founded by a climate-change skeptic, which calculated the highest of those numbers: 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit (or 1.6 Celsius). 'We're seeing forecasts that temperatures are going to continue to stay high,' Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and retired chief of NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program, told the Associated Press. 'We just may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event, so this may be the last one… We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods,' Eakin added. What's a lowly surf rat left to do in the here and now? Reef-safe sunscreens, alternative surfboard construction, and manual and/or analog paddling of said surfboards may be about the best most of us can offer our great giver, the sea. 'The best way to protect coral reefs,' Eakin puts forth, 'is to address the route cause of climate change, and that means reducing the emissions—the human emissions—that are mostly from the burning of fossil fuels. Everything else is looking like a Band-Aid rather than a solution.' Here's where that thorny, convoluted little term oft-hawked by libertarians and neoliberals, 'better capitalism,' could come into play. Love or hate the ocean and its temperature-dependent multitude of critters, and reject climate change, chaos, crisis, and/or warming all you like. By all means, fellow ocean-goers, continue to vote with those John Wayne dollars as always, but it's up to the nerds whose direction is at the discretion of the energy geezers and geezettes to sort out both us and our beloved reefs, whose wondrous associated peaks, slabs, peelers, and tubes none of us can deny.
Scientific American
24-04-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
84 Percent of Corals Impacted in Mass Bleaching Event
All around the world, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Florida Keys, the bright, vibrant colors of coral reefs have turned ghostly white in vast swaths as our planet has experienced the largest mass coral bleaching event on record. The crisis could have enormous consequences for ocean ecosystems and the global economy. Some 84 percent of the world's reefs have been hit by bleaching since January 1, 2023, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global partnership among various countries and organizations. This is the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and it surpasses the record set by the previous one, which lasted from 2014 to 2017 and affected two thirds of the ocean's reefs. What is coral bleaching? On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Corals are symbiotic animals: they get their bright colors from algae that live within them. The corals supply the algae with needed nitrogen, and the algae in turn supply the corals with the carbon they use as food. But if the water gets too warm, the algae release toxic compounds, and the corals expel the algae, leaving the corals with clear tissues through which their white skeleton is visible. If temperatures cool again, algae can recolonize the corals, and the reef can heal. But during the time the algae are gone, the corals become weakened and more susceptible to disease and pollution —and if the algae stay away too long, the corals die. That's not just a concern for people who enjoy diving to view the teeming reefs; bleaching has potentially huge ecological and economic ramifications. Reefs are extremely biodiverse—they are sometimes called the 'rainforests of the sea'—and support about one third of all known marine life. Corals also protect shorelines from erosion and storms. Some research has estimated they contribute about $9.8 trillion to the global economy each year. During the current bleaching event, '82 countries, territories and economies' have suffered damage as a result, the ICRI says. What is causing the mass bleaching event? The event has been driven by persistent, exceptionally hot ocean temperatures, fueled by global warming. The average global temperature is about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) higher than it was in the late 19th century, and the bulk of that excess heat has been absorbed by the oceans. The average global ocean surface temperature reached a record-warm level in 2024, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Because of the exceptional heat, NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program had to add three new levels to the agency's Bleaching Alert Scale in 2023. Previously, the highest level was 2, which indicated risk of mortality in heat-sensitive corals. Now the highest level means that more than 80 percent of corals on a reef are at risk of dying. As the planet's temperatures continue to rise, so does the threat that more reefs may disappear. 'We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,' said Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and former chief of Coral Reef Watch, to the Associated Press. 'We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods.' How can coral reefs be protected? Many scientists are studying corals to see what types might best withstand marine heat waves. Researchers are also investigating whether coral fragments can be propagated in labs and replanted to restore reefs. But the most effective ways to protect and preserve reefs is to minimize humans' effects by curtailing pollution that washes into the ocean from land, ending overfishing and curbing the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. 'The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels,' Eakin told the Associated Press. 'Everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution.'
Express Tribune
24-04-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Coral bleaching reaches unprecedented scale, hitting 84% of reefs worldwide
Listen to article A record-breaking coral bleaching event is now affecting 84% of the world's reefs, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), marking the most extensive marine bleaching crisis in recorded history. The global event, the fourth since 1998, began in 2023 and has already eclipsed the 2014–2017 bleaching period, which damaged around two-thirds of coral reefs worldwide. The ongoing event has been fuelled by ocean warming driven by climate change. 'We may never see the heat stress levels dip below the threshold for global bleaching again,' said Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and former chief of coral monitoring at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Eakin warned the crisis is fundamentally altering the planet's ecosystems and the ocean's ability to support human life. Corals, which consider as rainforest of the sea, support around 25% marine species, are critical for biodiversity, food security, tourism and coastline protection. Algae are the reason of coral bright colours and it also nurish the coral. Due to high temperature algae release toxic compounds which is ejected by coral. Afterthat only weak white skeleton left behind and heightened the risk of coral death. The average sea surface temperature in last year reached a record 20.87°C in non-polar regions, contributing to the mass bleaching. NOAA's Coral Reef Watch has even had to expand its alert system to reflect the increasing intensity of the crisis. Conservation efforts are underway in some areas. Projects in Florida and the Seychelles are attempting to rescue, regenerate and reintroduce coral to their natural habitats. A Dutch lab has been growing coral in captivity to help restore damaged reefs in future scenarios. Still, scientists insist that without aggressive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, such efforts may only offer temporary relief. 'The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels … everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution,' Eakin said. Melanie McField, co-chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, echoed that urgency: 'Inaction is the kiss of death for coral reefs.' Their update comes as US President Donald Trump, in his second term, continues to dismantle clean energy policies in favour of fossil fuel expansion — a move Eakin says could further endanger global marine ecosystems.
Japan Today
23-04-2025
- Science
- Japan Today
Global coral bleaching has now hit 84% of ocean's reefs
FILE - Bleached coral is visible at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico, Sept. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) By ISABELLA O'MALLEY Harmful bleaching of the world's coral has grown to include 84% of the ocean's reefs in the most intense event of its kind in recorded history, the International Coral Reef Initiative announced Wednesday. It's the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and has now surpassed bleaching from 2014-17 that hit some two-thirds of reefs, said the ICRI, a mix of more than 100 governments, non-governmental organizations and others. And it's not clear when the current crisis, which began in 2023 and is blamed on warming oceans, will end. 'We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,' said Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and retired coral monitoring chief for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods,' Eakin said. Last year was Earth's hottest year on record, and much of that is going into oceans. The average annual sea surface temperature of oceans away from the poles was a record 20.87 degrees Celsius (69.57 degrees Fahrenheit). That's deadly to corals, which are key to seafood production, tourism and protecting coastlines from erosion and storms. Coral reefs are sometimes dubbed 'rainforests of the sea' because they support high levels of biodiversity — approximately 25% of all marine species can be found in, on and around coral reefs. Coral get their bright colors from the colorful algae that live inside them and are a food source for the corals. Prolonged warmth causes the algae to release toxic compounds, and the coral eject them. A stark white skeleton is left behind, and the weakened coral is at heightened risk of dying. The bleaching event has been so severe that NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program has had to add levels to its bleaching alert scale to account for the growing risk of coral death. Efforts are underway to conserve and restore coral. One Dutch lab has worked with coral fragments, including some taken from off the coast of the Seychelles, to propagate them in a zoo so that they might be used someday to repopulate wild coral reefs if needed. Other projects, including one off Florida, have worked to rescue corals endangered by high heat and nurse them back to health before returning them to the ocean. But scientists say it's essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, such as carbon dioxide and methane. 'The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels … everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution,' Eakin said. 'I think people really need to recognize what they're doing … inaction is the kiss of death for coral reefs,' said Melanie McField, co-chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, a network of scientists that monitors reefs throughout the world. The group's update comes as President Donald Trump has moved aggressively in his second term to boost fossil fuels and roll back clean energy programs, which he says is necessary for economic growth. 'We've got a government right now that is working very hard to destroy all of these ecosystems ... removing these protections is going to have devastating consequences," Eakin said. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
