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Miles O’Brien:
It’s a global problem brought on by pollution, overfishing and the climate crisis.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts up to 90 percent of tropical coral reefs will vanish as soon as 2030 unless drastic action is taken to limit greenhouse gases. Grim as that is, here in Florida, things are worse.
Neely is on a mission to stop a deadly coral epidemic decimating reefs here and throughout the Caribbean. First identified near Miami in 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease spreads and kills like wildfire. It strikes more than 20 of the 60 or so species of coral that live here. Mortality rates range from 66 to 100 percent. The iconic Pillar coral is one of the most susceptible.
Valerie Paul, Director, Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce: It’s heartbreaking. It’s just unbelievable.
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