Coral Bleaching Devastates Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef suffered its most severe mass bleaching in 2025, with 98% of monitored reefs affected—a record that dwarfs even the devastating 2020 event. Ocean temperatures off Queensland hit 2–3°C above the seasonal average for months, causing thermal stress that bleached corals across 1,500 kilometers of reef. This event outperforms #10's COP30 outcomes in immediacy of impact, as recovery times have shrunk to under two years, compared to a historical average of 5–7 years. Such compressed intervals mean nearly 60% of reefs face repeat bleaching within three years, threatening the ecosystem's ability to regenerate. Data from the Australian Institute of Marine Science confirms that 2025's bleaching intensity was 30% higher than the previous record in 2016, leaving scientists racing to identify resilient coral strains for restoration.