Global warming is causing dramatic declines in Caribbean corals and threatening the survival of hundreds of species of fish, mollusks and crustaceans that depend on them, according to an international panel of marine scientists. Rising sea-surface temperatures of about one degree centigrade in the last 30 years have sped coral bleaching and the spread of infectious diseases affecting corals, the scientists say. The 23-member scientific panel conducted its study for the Global Marine Species Assessment (GMSA), a joint effort by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Conservation International to review the health of the world’s marine species. It concluded that ecological stresses caused by the rising sea-surface temperatures are devastating coral reefs, the ocean’s richest habitats. If the problem isn’t addressed, disaster... [Log in to read more]