Great Barrier Reef faces dire threat with 2C global warming, UN report says

Distinct difference in amount of coral that would remain under two climate change scenarios

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Limiting global warming to 1.5C rather than 2C would likely be the difference between the survival of some Great Barrier Reef coral and its complete decline, according to the latest United Nations assessment of climate change science.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, released in South Korea on Monday, found coral reefs were likely to decline between 70% and 90% if the temperature increased to that level. If global warming reaches 2C, more than 99% of coral reefs were projected to decline.