June 2025 – World Reef Day
- Hot Topics
- Jun 2
- 7 min read
June has arrived once again, and it is remarkable to reflect on how, this time last year, our attention was drawn to both the rich legacy of Pride Month and the unexpected political developments following the announcement of a general election by the then–Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
Fortunately, the pace for this June appears to be somewhat less intense. To begin the month, it is worth noting that June is officially recognised as National Zoo and Aquarium Month. While this is not our primary area of focus, it nonetheless serves as a timely reminder of the many topics that merit discussion and reflection.
This aquatic agenda includes:
June 1st – World Reef Awareness Day: our selected theme for the month, for reasons we shall explore in due course.
June 8th – World Ocean Day: an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of human activity on our oceans, both historically and in the present day.
June 16th – Father’s Day and World Sea Turtle Day: the latter commemorates Dr Archie Carr, who is coincidentally regarded as the “father of sea turtle biology”.
A Brief Introduction to Reefs
What is a reef?
A reef is a natural (or artificial) ridge or shoal composed of rock, coral, or other stable materials that lies at or just below the surface of a body of water. While reefs vary in form and origin, the most recognisable are coral reefs, which are known for their vibrant colours and fascinating structures.
What is coral, and how are reefs formed?
Coral can refer to a variety of small marine invertebrates, including relatives of jellyfish and sea anemones. However, only a particular species, known as a hard coral, can build reef structures. These hard corals consist of tiny animals called coral polyps, which settle on hard surfaces and grow either as solitary individuals or as part of vast colonies.
Here is where it gets interesting: think of a coral reef as an underwater beehive. Just as a young bee begins life in a hive built by previous generations, baby corals (called larvae) attach themselves to the calcium carbonate skeletons left behind by older polyps. Over time, these layers accumulate into the massive reef structures we see today.
Much like bees rely on flowers for nourishment, coral polyps form a symbiotic relationship with a type of microscopic algae known as zooxanthellae (pronounced zozan-thel-ee). These algae live within the coral tissue and, through photosynthesis, provide the polyps with energy in exchange for a safe and stable environment.
Why should I care?
Despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs support an astonishing 25% of all marine life.
Even if you live far from the sea, reefs still matter. If they decline, it has global consequences.
Here are a few ways that reefs impact different sectors of society as we know them:
Political
Economic
Social
Technical
Legal
Environmental
The Human Threat: Dredging, Trawling, and Bleaching
While climate change and over-tourism are often discussed, direct physical destruction of reefs is an ongoing catastrophe with three major culprits.
Dredging involves the excavation of seabeds to create shipping lanes, ports, or other coastal developments. This process physically destroys reef structures, smothers coral with sediment, and potentially blocks sunlight that corals need to survive. As the seabed is disturbed, it creates a plume of sediment that spreads in a milky cloud over many kilometres.
A dredge boat is actively at work, agitating sediment as it goes. Bottom Trawling is a fishing technique involving one or two boats scraping weighted nets across the seabed. While it can be efficient when regulated to secure a large catch, unmoderated bottom trawling carries with it a significant path of destruction that can damage coral reefs, sponge gardens and seagrass meadows. Not only is it destructive, but it also scoops up anything and everything in its path indiscriminately as it sweeps, including juvenile fish, species of endangered animals like sea turtles and dolphins, and any other marine life alongside those intentionally targeted. Not to mention that the very act of dragging the net disturbs sediment that otherwise traps carbon dioxide.
Is there anything other than fish caught in that net? Sometimes, corals can lose their usual bright appearance due to a phenomenon known as Coral Bleaching, which happens due to stress. When bleaching occurs, corals eject the vibrant zooxanthellae that grant them their colours from their tissues, exposing the white calcium carbonate skeleton beneath. As both hard and soft corals rely on them for food and nutrients, they can also starve. The primary stressor leading to widespread coral bleaching events globally is elevated ocean temperature, primarily driven by climate change. However, other stressors, such as ocean acidification, pollution, increased sedimentation from coastal development (including dredging or blast fishing), and extreme low tides, can also contribute to or exacerbate bleaching, putting immense pressure on these vital marine ecosystems. For instance, an otherwise orange sea anemone that can conceal and protect orange clownfish may turn ghostly white during a bleaching event, losing its vibrant colour and the ability to provide effective camouflage.
This reef used to appear much more vibrant and colourful than it does now.
The Great Barrier Reef alone has suffered multiple mass bleaching events in the past decade, some spanning roughly over 60% of its reef systems.
Code and Coral: AI, Trends and Real Effects on Reefs
When we think about threats to coral reefs, plastic waste is often the first to come to mind—and rightly so. Single-use plastics, microbeads, and packaging debris usually end up in our oceans, choking marine life, smothering coral, and introducing harmful chemicals into delicate ecosystems.
However, in today’s world, even our digital choices made in the name of entertainment can have unexpected environmental consequences. Recently, social media has been flooded with AI-powered trends, such as transforming selfies into Ghibli-inspired art or personalised action figures—ironically, often shown to be in the same unsustainable plastic packaging most countries around the world are trying to reduce.
The process seems simple, meaning anyone can join in without being a master of art: upload a photo, choose a style, and let the AI work its magic. But behind the scenes, that single image is processed by energy-hungry data centres running thousands of servers, all with extensive cooling systems needed to keep them from overheating.
These centres consume enormous amounts of electricity, to the extent that they use more electricity in a year than 117 countries. This contributes to the very thing killing our reefs: climate change. As ocean temperatures rise, coral bleaching events become more frequent and severe, further stressing an already vulnerable ecosystem.
Passionate about making a positive impact and tackling the challenges of the present and future to help the enviroment? Why not dive a little deeper and explore an apprenticeship in Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability?
Discussion points for Environment & Sustainability, Rule of Law and Individual Liberty
Should the UK support stronger legal frameworks for reef protection, both at home and abroad?
How might traditional, spiritual, or religious relationships with the sea influence conservation values globally?
Should new laws be introduced to hold companies accountable for the carbon footprint of digital trends?
Does freedom of choice come with a responsibility to understand the environmental consequences of our actions, even online?
Could encouraging ethical consumer choices (like reef-safe tourism or sustainable seafood) positively limit individual liberty?
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