“The only way to save our reefs is to freeze them.”

Photo: ctenophore

Well, this is a depressing way to start your Thursday.

As if the news of glacial melt and polar bear deaths wasn’t enough to make you want to crawl into a hole until the environmental apocalypse has come and gone, here’s a stunner:

Scientists now believe that coral reef destruction is so accelerated that it’s impossible to save these living underwater ecosystems.

According to this article from the BBC, the only intervention believed viable at this point is to collect reef samples and freeze them for posterity. Should we get our act together on climate change and help restabilize the oceans’ temperatures, then, the reasoning goes, the cryogenized coral can be reintroduced to sea beds.

All the more reason why the world’s superpowers need to start walking the walk on climate change at next month’s Copenhagen summit.

Community Connection:

Members of the Matador community are active in coral reef protection and restoration. Check out the organizational profile of the Reef Doctor, an environmental conservation and activist group based in Madagascar that’s dedicated to conserving coral reefs through local education and community-based environmental projects.