Did you know that coral is an animal? Each structure that we know of as ‘coral’ is made up of thousands of tiny creatures which rely on algae for energy. But this makes them incredibly temperature sensitive, and the heating of our seas and oceans is causing them to expel their algae, leaving behind the white skeletons seen in “bleaching” events. Many of the world’s reefs now face an “existential crisis” with 14% lost between 2009 and 2018 - and even if the 1.5C limit on global heating is kept, more than 90% will be destroyed by severe aquatic heatwaves. We spoke to Simon Donner (@simondonner), a climate scientist who took a break from the Cop27 talks in Egypt to go snorkeling with us to examine their current state - and explain why coral reefs are so important. Learn - and see more - via the link in bio. Edited by Scarlet Pestell Filmed and executive produced by Nikhita Chulani Motion graphics by Katherine Stephens #Cop27 #Cop #CoralBleaching ClimateCrisis #Egypt #Coral #CoralReefs