Coral reefs worldwide are declining rapidly, according to a new report. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network found a nearly 10 percent decline in coral reefs since 2020. This decline is associated with global coral bleaching events, which have occurred four times since 1998.

Each bleaching event has resulted in a significant loss of global hard coral cover, ranging from 6.5 to 9.9 percent. The largest one-year decline occurred in 2024, affecting 87 percent of all reefs. Experts attribute the issue to global warming, which causes warm water to kill the algae that coral needs to survive.

Further details on the decline of coral reefs and its causes are available from the report.