Fiji Calls for Urgent Investment to Save the Reefs From Climate Change

Source : npr.org

Glasgow, Scotland - Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse ecosystems. They are the shelter of one in every four marine species. Over half a billion people obtain food and income from these valuable ecosystems across 100 coral reef nations. However, the 2020 Status of Coral Reefs of the World report stated that 14% of the world’s reefs have vanished because of climate change.

The Prime Minister of Fiji urged for the investment in coral reef conservation at a side event held by the Coral Reef Rescue Initiative during the UN Climate Change Conference to convey positive ocean climate solutions.

“For the sake of our reefs, ocean, and the general habitability of the planet, we must cut carbon emissions. As that happens, we have to do the work of rebuilding the resilience of our reefs.” Prime Minister Bainimarama said.

Prime Minister Bainimarama explained that well-managed reefs are more resilient reefs so it means that good reef management works.

“If we manage them properly and responsibly, and do what needs to be done to curb carbon emissions, these ecosystems can thrive.” Prime Minister Bainimarama added.

The well-known climate change expert and professor of marine studies, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg has expressed his view that coral reef conversation is crucial for the whole planet.

“We need bold actions from COP26 to keep average global temperature rise to as close to 1.5°C as possible and to maintain a healthy and resilient ocean as a critical part of the climate solution; otherwise, we stand to lose as much as 70%-90% of corals by the end of the century,” he stressed.

According to a global analysis, almost 70% of these climate-resilient coral reefs are found in seven countries: such as Cuba, Fiji, Indonesia, Madagascar, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Tanzania.

The Coral Reef Rescue Initiative Lead at WWF, Carol Phua suggested that the climate and ocean finance agendas should be joined up to drive the significant private and public investments in order to secure the food, livelihoods and wellbeing of millions of people.

Besides, Christian Severin, Coordinator, GEF International Waters, Senior Environmental Specialist explained that this investment is a nature-based method to conserve globally significant climate-resilient coral reefs.

Gender mainstreaming and inclusion of the broader CSO community are crucial to ensure long-lasting blue economics.

The Strategic Partnerships Lead at CARE International, Karl Deering stressed that human rights and good governance are the heart of the climate agenda which permits the youth and women to implement, monitor, and amplify interventions in coral reef systems.

News Values in this News Article

This is considered news as it contains a few news values that may grab the attention of the readers and are valuable to the public.

The value that can be found in this news is the news value of impact. It affects the value of news significantly to attract audiences. The issue of coral reef conservation brings significant impacts to the world as it may lead to as much as 70%-90% of corals lost by the end of the century. Corals are also the most biologically diverse ecosystems which are the shelter of one in every four marine species so the issue may affect the world’s ecosystem and environment negatively. Therefore, the issue is serious and impactful which would attract the attention of the public.

The news value of prominence also exists in the news article. A famous person always plays a significant role in increasing the news value. The Prime Minister of Fiji, Bainimarama is the head of government and also a significant politician. Therefore, people are willing to know what is said by him and his decision is powerful to make changes to the country.

Besides that, the news article contains the news value of human interest. Human interest stories appeal to emotion to evoke responses. It is mentioned in the news article that reefs are the shelter of one in every four marine species so it should be conserved. The environment would also be negatively impacted if the reefs disappeared. This may evoke the emotions of the public to love and care about nature. Some of nature lovers are also interested to know more about the issues.