Declining growth of Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System corals predicts trouble for worldwide reefs.

A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reports that protecting coral reefs from fishing and pollution does not help coral populations cope with climate change. The study also concludes that ocean warming is the primary cause of the global decline of reef-building corals and that the only effective solution is to immediately and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Research suggests that higher-latitude reefs may have more time to adapt to rising ocean temperatures than their tropical counterparts.