Plastic in the Oceans Increasing Risk of Disease in Coral Reefs

More than 11 billion pieces of plastic are lodged within coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific region. According to a new study published in the journal Science, as this plastic gets tangled, it often cuts the coral, increasing the risk of infection and disease outbreaks by as much 89 percent.

2018 International Year of the Reef, UNEP

Over the last three decades, half of the planet’s coral has died under rising water temperatures and ocean acidification. To address this global crisis, global environmental leaders and countries have named this the International Year of the Reef.

Fiji: Mangrove concern

Regional environmental protection agencies recently questioned Fiji’s commitment to oceans and coral health by highlighting the continued removal and destruction of mangroves in the country.