13: Coral bleaching. -The Dark Future of the Coral Reefs with Callum Roberts, the great protector of coral reefs

Coral reefs occupy less than 1% of the ocean but are home to 25% of the ocean's species. Unfortunately, nowadays the corals are bleaching. This is because the corals, due to rising sea temperatures, have to expel the tiny algae that live in their outer tissues, which give them their brilliant colors and make their food. When the algae are expelled, the corals turn pale, and sooner or later they die of starvation.

This episode of Science and Cocktails Podcast is a sad love story about the most beautiful and diverse ecosystems experiencing the spiral of destruction. And to tell this sad story, we have the great protector of coral reefs, Callum Roberts, who fell in love with coral reefs at first sight and has devoted his life to protecting them.
He will take us to some of the most beautiful places on earth and tell us about his lifelong love, coral reefs. He will warn of their downfall and urge politicians to act now.

The podcast is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation

Cast: Callum Roberts, Professor of marine conservation, at the University of Exeter (UK), Chief Advisor to the BLUE Marine Foundation and the Maldives Coral Institute.
He was a scientific advisor for the BBC's Blue Planet 2 series, and therefore there will appear small parts from the series in this podcast.

Journalist and producer; Sofie Hjorth
Music composer; Hjalte Bested Hjorth