At best, targeted coral interventions – which may not always return reefs to a healthy state – risk squandering money, time and trust in science. At worst, they are a dangerous distraction from the need for drastic emissions reduction.
Carbon capture and storage has been hailed as a potential way to reduce emissions, but it is more likely to increase them by boosting oil and gas extraction. The cheaper and more effective solution is to move to cleaner forms of energy.
Zero-emissions vehicles would need to hit 73 per cent of new light vehicle sales by 2030 to keep transport emissions aligned to limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.