Nearly a billion people around the world rely on coral reefs as a source of income; they are involved in various sectors such as tourism and fishing, and they play a significant role in protecting coastlines. However, with the worsening of global warming, the risks facing coral reefs are increasing, putting them at risk of extinction.

It is important to mention that coral reefs play a crucial role in maintaining the Earth's ecosystem. Not only that, but their loss could negatively impact human health, the economy, and life. And because it is linked to human welfare and life, a research group from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, decided to connect coral reef protection with human rights in a scientific article published in the journal "Global Change Biology" on September 27, 2024.

Human rights

It is a term that refers to the basic rights of all humans regardless of race, nationality, language, religion, or any other difference. In the context of the environment, humans are losing many of their rights to live in peace in a healthy environment, free from disasters related to environmental and climatic changes around them due to human activities and policies that cause severe damage to the environment.

First case

Eight residents of the Torres Strait Islands in Australia brought the first successful climate change case in the language of human rights in 2019. They were able to highlight the negative impact of climate changes on their lives through this lawsuit, particularly given their reliance on bleached coral reefs for livelihood. In 2022, the Human Rights Committee decided that the Australian government's failure to adapt to climate changes and protect the coral reefs undermines the rights of the communities that depend on them for living.

Challenges

Coral reefs continue to face numerous threats resulting from human activities; the year 2024 witnessed the fourth global coral bleaching event, which affected more than 50% of coral reefs worldwide.

Warm water systems, particularly those that include coral reefs, are subject to numerous changes as average global temperatures rise, and when temperatures reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the organisms within them may disappear.

Additionally, other human pressures, such as pollution from human activities, are impacting biodiversity. All of this ultimately negatively impacts human rights. Therefore, the authors of the study see a close relationship between climate change and human rights.