Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the sea because they harbor great biodiversity and because they help absorb greenhouse gases.
But today they are disappearing, under assault by toxic runoff, poison and blast fishing, mishandled boats, and from global warming. Coral reefs grow very slowly, only an inch a year, even though some colonies are a thousand years old and stretch as much as a mile beneath the sea. But they can be destroyed quickly. Nearly a quarter of the reefs have been wiped out in past several years.
Our guest, Julia Whitty, argues that coral reefs may be more important to the earth's health than rainforests are. The delicate ecology of the reef world and what can be done to save it, here. (Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
