The World’s Corals Have Passed Their Tipping Point – the Scientist’s Response: “Leave Nature Alone”

Coral reefs have reached their limit. This is the conclusion of a new global report, which warns that most reefs will likely disappear unless powerful climate measures are taken. But in the midst of this crisis, there are places that show that recovery is possible—if nature is given a chance.

“We have seen so many damaged reefs. So it’s nice to see something that is actually doing well,” says coral reef researcher Sylvia Jagerroos.

Together with her colleague Didier Zoccola, she has studied the corals at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean—the site where the US conducted extensive nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s. There, in craters created by bombs, the reefs have returned. But the sight of healthy corals is now very rare.

According to the Global Tipping Points Report 2025, the situation for the world’s coral reefs is now so dire that the vast majority are at risk of disappearing. The reason is global warming, which has exposed corals to increasingly long periods of heat stress, leading to widespread mass bleaching. Yet Sylvia Jagerroos is filled with hope when she dives at Bikini Atoll.

Hear her tell more in the clip.

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