The world was shocked in October of 2016, when Outside Magazine tweeted that the Great Barrier Reef had been pronounced dead. This created a major upheaval by social media users who were devastated by this news, and by scientists who were disturbed by this false statement. Many scientists began trying to spread the truth- that the Great Barrier Reef is in fact dying but is not yet dead. Although the reef is in serious danger of becoming extinct, it is important that people know that it is not yet past the point of recovery.

The main causes of destruction of the Great Barrier Reef include bleaching, fishing, mining, and burning fossil fuels. Coral bleaching occurs when there are major changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, which puts the reef under great stress. During this bleaching, symbiotic algae is released from the corals’ tissue , which causes it to turn white. Currently, 93% of the Great barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching, which puts the reef at great risk of extinction. In efforts to save the reef, the Australian and Queensland government released the 2050 plan, which outlines the $2 billion venture in improving the health of the reef. Despite the faulty tweet by Outside Magazine, the efforts to save this 25 million year-old reef have not been ended!

More information made be found at http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/14/us/barrier-reef-obit-trnd/