For the first time, a national assessment of coral reefs had been conducted in the United States. The reports from this assessment showed that the health of the coral reefs located around our country is declining rapidly due to the effects of climate change. The oceans surrounding heavily populated areas are incredibly polluted, which is another reason for the decline in health of the coral reefs. This article also shed some light on the economic impacts of the coral reefs. The article concluded by mentioning a federal bill that could help provide funding to restore the coral reefs.
Before reading this article, I wasn’t very aware of the coral reefs that can be found in the oceans surrounding our country. I also wasn’t very aware of the economical impact that coral reefs have. According to the article, the economic impact of coral reefs in the United States is around 3.4 billion dollars annually. I think that it is very important to pass the federal bill so that we can help improve the health of the coral reefs. I also think that it is important to minimize the pollution in the ocean so that the coral reefs aren’t at risk.
When I think of coral reefs, like you Stephanie, my first thought isn’t the mainland US either. Maybe Hawaii, although we do have them in CA too. And as you know, all of them are in trouble, and of course we want to reverse the course we’re on. Did the article describe the legislation much? It seems to me there is some overlapping cause (ie- pollution, climate change) that could be addressed in other ways rather than a bill about reefs. I’m wondering if this very real problem could be more directly addressed with the Clean Water Act, or something targeted at climate change. What do you think? Is a law targeting coral reefs specifically helpful, or just one more thing that may create complications (overlap)? If that makes sense….?
Hi Mr. Powell! The article I read didn’t talk too much about legislation, they only mentioned that Hawaii and Florida are proposing a bill that would provide funding to help restore our reefs. The article did mention that climate change is the biggest threat to our reefs, so I think that it would be more helpful overall to target climate change as a whole. However, I think that helping the coral reefs in any form is a step in the right direction. Thank you for your comment!