Are The Coral Reefs Really Doomed?

You’ve probably heard of coral bleaching; if you live near a coral reef, maybe you’ve even seen the impacts of climate change on that reef up close. But what — if anything — can we do to keep coral alive? This week, we talk to Julia Baum, a marine ecologist who’s made the unlikely journey from climate despair to climate optimism… and ask her what finally changed her mind about the future of coral reefs.

Also: we're planning a special Earth Day episode, and we'd love to hear about the actions YOU'VE taken in response to climate change. Did you plant a tree? Call your representative? Investigate the refrigerants used at a grocery store near you? We want to hear about it! Fill out this form and send us a voice memo about what you did... you might hear your own voice featured on the show!

Guests: Dr. Julia Baum, Dr. Dave Vaughan

• Dr. Dave Vaughan’s book, Active Coral Restoration: Techniques for a Changing Planet
• Dr. Julia Baum’s study about how she saw corals survive the massive marine heat wave on Christmas

How to Save a Planet is a Spotify original podcast and Gimlet production hosted by Alex Blumberg. This episode was produced and co-hosted by Hannah Chinn. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Waldholz, Anna Ladd, and Daniel Ackerman. Our supervising producer is Katelyn Bogucki. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Our intern is Nicole Welch. 

Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard, with original music by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Catherine Anderson, Bobby Lord, and Marcus Bagala.

Our fact checker for this episode is James Gaines. Special thanks to Kelson Poepoe and Julia’s team at the University of Victoria. And of course, thanks to all of you for listening.

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