This photo may be beautiful, but it shows significant bleaching in the coral reef surrounding Rose Atoll in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.
Corals require specific temperature ranges, and when water temperatures become too high, stressed corals often expel the colorful algae they depend on to survive -- this is known as coral bleaching. Recently, our actions have led to warmer water temperatures across the globe. When we burn fossil fuels like oil and gas to power our homes and fuel our cars, we release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide builds up and acts like a heat-trapping blanket, warming our planet, including the ocean.
In recent years, we've seen coral bleaching events all around the world as a result of this warmer ocean. It's up to all of us to work together to reduce our fossil fuel usage so that we can protect corals and other ocean inhabitants. Together, we can support alternative energy initiatives like solar solutions that will help protect our coral reefs.