Climate change is threatening the existence of coral reefs which threatens the livelihoods of millions, especially in the region.
According to a report by Radio New Zealand International, 'a new scientific report says that around 100 million people risk losing their homes and livelihoods unless drastic steps are taken to protect the coral reefs of the Southeast Asia/Pacific region'.According to the report, University of Queensland researchers say that these reefs could be wiped out in coming decades because of climate change, threatening the livelihoods of many communities in countries like PNG and Solomon Islands.
The group has presented its study at the World Ocean Conference, citing 300 published scientific studies and 20 climate change experts.
It told the conference there's a critical need for action to be taken, including an 80 per cent cut in global carbon emissions by 2050, to save the marine ecosystem.
The issue is a critical one for the region where people depend on the sea for food, especially nations in the region that are made up of atolls.
Meanwhile, according to news from the Conference, the leaders of Coral Triangle Six Countries signed The Coral Triangle Initiative Leaders Declaration on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security in Manado, where the conference was held. It concluded on Friday.
The aim of the leaders of Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Malaysia is to ensure a brighter future for the peoples of the Coral Triangle that is a moral obligation to care for the greatest wealth of marine life on the planet, to nurture these animals, plants and ecosystems.