McGrath, M. (2018, November 01). Coral: Palau to ban sunscreen products to protect reefs. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46046064
Palau is the first country to ban the sale and use of sunscreen that contain a list of ten chemicals. The ban will begin in 2020 and will give a fine of $1000 to retailers who violate the ban. This law is mainly concerned with oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are used in sunscreen because they absorb ultraviolet light. This concern is fueled by research from 2015 that showed that those chemicals can stunt the growth of baby coral and are toxic to several coral species. They have also been found to cause coral to bleach at lower temperatures and reduce their resilience to climate change.
This ban of sunscreen containing those ingredients in sunscreen is very important and sets a precedent for other countries to take action to protect coral reefs. The bleaching of coral reefs is a global issue, and in order for it to be solved other countries will need to make laws such as this and also do more to protect coral reefs. This ban will also require companies to manufacture sunscreen that contains more environmentally friendly ingredients, and may lead to products containing safer ingredients as well.
I think that it great that more countries are starting to care about coral and take steps to protect it. It is one of the most important ecosystems in the ocean and it sort of like the rain forest of the sea in terms of the level of biodiversity. That is why it is so important that we protect them. I know that Hawaii has also adopted a ban on sunscreen with oxybenzone and octinoxate. I hope that more countries in the future adopt this ban.
I agree that this is a very important step, and I think that if it is shown to make a big difference, other areas will adopt this policy as well.