Over 80% of the world's reefs hit by bleaching event, and other nature and climate news

Over the past two years, bleaching-level heat stress has impacted a record-high 83.7% of the world’s coral reef area, and mass coral bleaching has been documented in at least 83 countries and territories, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch.

This marks the most widespread bleaching event ever recorded.

Coral bleaching refers to the process by which corals lose the symbiotic zooxanthellae algae. Rising ocean temperatures cause coral polyps to become stressed and expel the symbiotic algae.

Without the zooxanthellae, coral reefs fade and turn white. If the ocean temperatures stay high or continue to rise, the corals don’t reabsorb the algae and die as a result. Last year was the hottest on record, according to NOAA, with January 2025 temperatures setting a new global milestone.

"The magnitude and extent of the heat stress is shocking," said Melanie McField, a marine scientist, as reported by Reuters: "Some reefs that had thus far escaped major heat stress and we thought to be somewhat resilient, succumbed to partial mortalities in 2024."

The previous biggest global coral bleaching event occurred from 2014-2017, when 68.2% of the world's reef area experienced bleaching-level heat stress.

Our planet's landmasses are holding significantly less water than they once did.

Terrestrial water storage has declined by trillions of metric tonnes since the early 21st century, according to research published in Science.

Soil moisture loss has emerged as a major contributor. Satellite data shows that water stored in soils dropped especially steeply from 2000 to 2002, shrinking by about 1.6 trillion tonnes, increasing sea levels by almost two millimetres each year.

Rising global temperatures are driving this loss, the researchers say. The climate crisis has changed precipitation patterns while intensifying evaporation and transpiration.

"The areas of the globe that are drying due to higher temperatures and changes in precipitation are getting larger than the areas that are getting wetter” from any increases in precipitation, says environmental scientist Katharine Jacobs of the University of Arizona in Tucson, as reported by Science News.

With the planet expected to continue warming, researchers warn that this trend is unlikely to reverse any time soon.

At the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the IMF's Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, stated that the IMF will stay "laser focused" on preventing balance of payments crises and incorporate the Trump administration's concerns into its policies, but will keep supporting countries affected by climate change.

Levels of a forever chemical known as TFA in European wines have risen "alarmingly" since 2010, analysis from Pesticide Action Network Europe has revealed. Scientists are pointing to an increase in TFA contamination in the water cycle and biosphere as a "planetary boundary threat".

The 'Revive Our Ocean' initiative has been launched to protect at least 30% of the world's oceans by the end of the decade. It will assist local communities in their efforts to establish marine protected areas in coastal waters.

Scientists estimate that just 4,000 to 6,000 snow leopards are left in the wild. AI text alerts could help save snow leopards from extinction, according to the BBC.

White-faced darters, a rare species of dragonfly, are being introduced into a remote area of Cumbria, England, to reverse their decline, The Guardian reports. The destruction of peatland habitats and rising global temperatures have driven it to near extinction.

Then see how one start-up is tackling industrial CO2 in this video: