Super El Niño threatens coral reefs with unprecedented heat stress
UN biodiversity panel chair David Obura warns that the record-breaking El Niño is adding a terrifying risk of extinction for many coral species.
David Obura, chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, described the ongoing super El Niño as a "terrifying" addition to the threats facing coral reefs. The phenomenon is driving sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific to all-time highs, amplifying heat stress that already endangers corals. A 2020 assessment published in Nature, which Obura co-authored, found that by 2020 almost half of coral species faced an elevated risk of extinction, primarily due to climate change.
Since then, ocean warming has set new records and the 2023-2025 bleaching episode caused widespread mortality. Obura warned that one outlet El Niño could raise the share of species at heightened risk beyond the 50 percent threshold, potentially accelerating reef collapse worldwide.
Why it matters
Coral reefs support marine biodiversity and coastal economies, and their loss would have global ecological and socioeconomic consequences.
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