December 3, 2025 | 06:28 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Researchers from the University of Sydney and Université Grenoble Alpes have discovered that coral reefs play a critical role in regulating Earth’s carbon cycle and sustaining long-term climate stability.
The study shows that coral reefs are not only biodiversity hotspots, but also active climate regulators that have helped maintain planetary balance for more than 250 million years.
The researchers explained that reefs influence global climate by controlling ocean alkalinity and the carbon cycle. These natural processes neutralize ocean acidity and store carbon dioxide by locking carbonate minerals into the seafloor.
However, the very ecosystem that has kept Earth’s temperature stable for millions of years is now among the most vulnerable to human-driven climate change. Coral reefs face two major and simultaneous threats.
The first is ocean warming, which causes severe thermal stress. Higher sea temperatures trigger mass bleaching events, weakening reefs and putting dependent marine ecosystems at risk.
The second is ocean acidification driven by rising carbon dioxide levels. Increased acidity reduces carbonate ions, which corals need to build their calcium carbonate skeletons. This limits their ability to grow and maintain structural strength.
Lead author Laurent Husson said environmental degradation caused by human activity is accelerating the decline of coral ecosystems.
These changes significantly alter the biogeochemical balance. Shallow reef systems are being pushed beyond the limits of what the Earth system can sustain,” Husson said in the journal Earth on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
The study highlights an urgent lesson for today’s climate response. In the past, Earth relied on natural mechanisms like coral reefs to rebalance the carbon cycle. Now, human-caused emissions are rising far too quickly for oceans and reefs to adapt.
Protecting coral reefs is therefore essential not only for marine biodiversity but also for stabilizing the global climate. Scientists urge the reduction of local pressures such as overfishing and pollution, along with major cuts to global carbon emissions, to give reefs a chance to survive and maintain their crucial ecological function.
Read: Gov't to Summon Companies Suspected of Contributing to North Sumatra Floods
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