From his home, the Marshall Islands, Tony de Brum saw the effects of global warming firsthand and became a champion of the Paris Climate Agreement. The president of the Marshall Islands called him a national hero.
Image: Reuters/D.Ornitz
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Tony de Brum didn't just campaign against rising sea levels. He was the Marshall Islands' climate ambassador and former foreign minister. He also fought the use of nuclear weapons, after having witnessed nuclear testing in the Pacific nation as a child. In 2015, he won the Alternative Nobel Prize for his efforts in tackling climate change.
De Brum was considered essential for the Paris accord - he helped form the "High Ambition Coalition" of 100 rich and poor nations and played a role in securing the global commitment to try to limit the Earth's warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), compared to preindustrial times.
"The very existence of the Paris Agreement owes a lot to Tony de Brum," Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said in a statement. "He was a giant of history, a legend in every meaning of the word, and a custodian of our shared future."
Climate change interview with Tony deBrum
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The Marshall Islands are being slowly swallowed by the sea. Because of that, and the continued temperature rise, de Brum's home is likely to disappear soon. The island group protrudes just 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) above sea level and is one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change in the world.
But de Brum was determined not to leave his home country.
"The thought of evacuation is repulsive to us," he told The Associated Press in 2015. "We think that the more reasonable thing to do is to seek to end this madness, this climate madness, where people think that smaller, vulnerable countries are expendable and therefore they can continue to do business as usual."
The climate activist died on Tuesday aged 72, in the capital of the Marshall Islands, Majuro, surrounded by his family.
Time running out to save the world's coral reefs
What happens when coral gets stressed? Global warming and environmental changes can cause corals to lose their color, and hinder their ability to feed and reproduce. Scientists and policy makers are sounding alarm bells.
Image: imago/OceanPhoto
Trouble in paradise
Some 2,500 scientists, policymakers and managers came together in Honolulu in June 2016 for the world's largest summit dedicated to the future of coral reefs. With coral reefs threatened by global warming, participants at the 13th International Coral Reef Symposium are calling for a joint rescue effort.
Image: picture alliance/WILDLIFE
World is watching
The event gathered guests from 97 countries, including the presidents of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. Coral reefs are a key source of income in those countries, mostly through tourism.
Image: picture alliance/WILDLIFE
Too warm for comfort
The Pacific nations are worried about the future of their tourist hotspots, as coral reefs face so-called "bleaching" due to rising sea temperatures. "If our coral reefs are further degraded, then our reef-dependent communities will suffer and be displaced," leaders of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands said in an open letter.
Image: imago/OceanPhoto
Corals in crisis
Bleaching happens when coral is stressed by hot ocean waters or other changes in the environment. In response, corals may release tiny symbiotic algae which drains them of color. More importantly, bleaching affects their ability to feed and reproduce.
Image: Imago
Pale as death
Severe or prolonged bleaching might kill off corals entirely. Scientists have detected bleached coral in the past two years in oceans around the world. They expect the process to continue thought 2016.
Image: imago/blickwinkel
Giant from Down Under
The 2,300-kilometer-long (1,429-mile-long) Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system and its largest living structure. It is also among Australia's main tourist attractions, generating around $3.9 billion (3.5 billion euros) annually.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press
Tough times for the Great Barrier Reef
Almost one-half of the coral in the reef's northern third have died in the past three months [in 2016], according to James Cook University professor Terry Hughes. The most affected area is remote and unpolluted, with very little fishing and no coastal development. "That's an absolute catastrophe," Hughes said. "There's nowhere to hide from climate change."
Image: Dorothea Bender-Champ for ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Fighting for hope
Despite the bad news, scientists claim the problems can be managed with proper funding and political backing. "We are not ready to write the obituary for coral reefs," Professor Hughes said. The scientific community at the conference pledged to work with leaders across the world in order to "curb the continued loss of coral reefs."
