The Great Barrier Reef is a thriving, aquatic ecosystem that covers a length 2300 kilometers of sea bed off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Though vast and intriguing, the reef is suffering great loss of life as a result of climate change, pollution, over fishing, and general disregard. A direct result of climate change is coral bleaching. Coral are small animals and their hard exoskeletons are home to small plant like organisms. These tiny organisms, known as zooxanthellae, not only give coral its vibrant color, but are the main source of oxygen and nutrients the coral need to survive. They are vital to the success of a reef but very susceptible to temperature change. With the increase of industry and burning of fossil fuels global temperatures are on the rise. With this rise in temperature the zooxanthellae produce toxic levels of oxygen. Coral, in an act of self preservation, expel the zooxanthellae. This leaves the coral colorless and highly susceptible to disease and death. When water temeratures return to normal within a month, coral can regenerate. The climate changes that perpetuate the bleaching of reefs are said to be a direct result of excess carbon emissions. The burning of coal, oil, and gas releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere that increase temperature and pollute the environment. At this time big industry is a major source of carbon emissions and is not being heavily regulated. The use of fossil fuels by a majority of the population for transportation is another major contributor to the increase of dangerous carbon emissions. The growth of population fuels demand for energy, and this energy is being supplied at the expense of the long term health of our planet. The use of fossil fuels as a source of energy has only been prominent within the last century. It has only been within the last twenty years that evidence of the dangers of this practice have come to light.

The rise of global temperatures not only effects the health of our ecosystems but will impact the quality of human life over time. Water levels will rise from glacial melt off, storm systems will become uncommonly strong and water conditions at sea will become severe. As temperatures rise, ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef are having to rapidly acclimate. These ecosystems were formed over many years and the damage caused by climate change is rapid, maybe even irreversible.

Another man made factor in the deterioration of the Great Barrier Reef is over fishing. Ecosystems are reliant on a healthy balance between predator and prey. A well known threat to the health of a reef system is the crown of thorns starfish. These starfish feed on the hard coral and algae on the surface of a reef. They are covered in poisonous spines and are vibrantly colored. When natural predators of these starfish dwindle in numbers due to over fishing by man or climate change, the starfish population can overcome a reef. Passionate locals are known to venture out into the reef and attempt to reduce and regulate the starfish population. Over fishing can also lead to damage to the physical structures of the reef by the careless maneuvering of boats, harsh removal of entangled nets, line and hooks. Sometimes this fishing debris is simply left where it lay, with no regard to the environment and the animals it may endanger. Over fishing is not just impacting the Great Barrier Reef. Areas that supply tuna for the growing popularity of sushi report shrinking populations. This is reflected in the raising price. Pollutants in many different forms are an ever present danger in the ecology of the planet.

Chemicals used in agriculture are flowing directly into the ocean from farm run off, and the presence of these fertilizers and pesticides in our oceans is steadily increasing. Fertilizers are dangerous because they promote unsolicited algae growth, sometimes producing a phenomena known as algae blooms. These thick concentrations of algae restrict the much needed sunlight within underwater ecosystems and cause significant loss of marine life in short time. The blooms can also effect humans causing cold like symptoms. Individuals with asthma, or other respiratory illnesses are more susceptible to the sickness. The pesticides that contaminate the oceans are not only detrimental to water quality but enter into the food chain. The smallest of creatures usually ingest the chemical, and a small presence of compound becomes present within the organism. The next animal up on the food chain ingests many of the smaller animals and acquires a larger concentration of the chemical. As the concentration grows within each successive link of the food chain, the highest amounts of chemicals are found within the apex predators. The larger creatures of the oceans are more regularly used as a food source for humans but testing of this food supply for dangerous chemicals is not common. The long term effects of some chemicals such as agent orange, once considered a safe defoliate agent, include physical deformities, cancers and persistent illness. Pesticides are low doses of nerve debilitating agents. In small quantities they do not effect humans immediately but over time with consistent exposure and build up of concentration within an individual, side effects are inevitable. The use of herbicides and pesticides in modern agriculture may lessen the labor needed to produce a “good” harvest but these chemicals are entering our water supply and cannot be easily removed. The Great Barrier Reef is receiving much higher concentrations of these fertilizers and pesticides due to an increase in modern agriculture. Chemicals used for agricultural purposes are temporary solutions that breed long term environmental issues. There use is directly effecting the health of the waters surrounding the Great Barrier Reef. The destruction of wet lands, which act as a natural filter, has been unavoidable with development of coastal areas. This development is driven by growing global commerce and the ships that pour into the new ports bring more pollution and risk of damage to the reef. When oil or chemical pollutants reach the water supply the task of clean up and decontamination is daunting. Run off from farms contains not only harmful chemicals but large amounts of sediment. The sediment can cloud sea water and prevent the much needed sunlight from reaching coral.

Resent dredging of the ocean floor, in preparation for new ports, has raised concern over water clarity and quality. These ports are being promoted as a source of global commerce but without proper action regarding the dredged sediment, harm to the reef is unavoidable. Pollution in the form of plastic waste is also harming the ecology of the Great Barrier Reef and other aquatic ecosystems. Animals see brightly colored pieces of plastic as possible food sources. Many animals ingest such large quantities of plastic that they slowly starve to death from lack of nutrients, and have a stomach full of undigested plastic pieces. The pacific is home to a plastic concentration of startling proportions. The same effect is inevitable in all of our oceans if people continue to casually disregard the environment. Plastics have been observed breaking down to microscopic size and accumulating slightly below the surface of the ocean. Particles of this small a size are not visible to the naked eye, but enter into the food chain none the less. These particles are detrimental to sea life because they can release toxic polymers as they break down to their molecular level.

The Great Barrier Reef is a beautiful, living attribute to the coast of Australia. The revenue generated from tourism is astounding and helps to draw in support of conservation of the reef. As the world grows in population and the byproducts of that growth enter the ecosystems, conscious action is needed by all who live on this planet. The responsibility of our generation is not only to identify the persistent problems that threaten our Great Barrier Reef, but to implement change in behavior. Have we grown so great a species that we should disregard our ability to sustain life on this planet.
It is of great importance that these issues not insight frustration, but fuel passion for the preservation of life for future generations. As a culture we are comfortable and not easily accepting of change. In order to reconcile the issues that are threatening the Great Barrier Reef, every individual must take action. The bleaching of coral is a giant red flag to humanity. In the event of total coral destruction, the food supply for humanity would suffer a major loss.
Over 852 million humans already suffer from shortage of food supply. The lack of attention to the warning signs mother nature is kindly flashing at us is ignorance induced by bliss. Cultures all around the world that rely on fish as their main food supply are telling scientists that the fish are gone. The reality of the effects of pollution and climate change are already evident and will continue to grow in severity. The ultimate task for humanity is to safe guard precious ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. Without the reefs, carbon levels will grow even faster and have more drastic effects on climate. Sadly, to see revolution, danger must be present. Most of humanity is casually waiting for someone else to do the dirty work.