In a few years, the majority of common sunscreens available on the market will be banned in Hawaii in an effort to save their coral reefs. These sunscreens contain oxybenzone or octinoxate—both ingredients that make coral more vulnerable. As Mother Jones explains, oxybenzone “deforms coral cells, damages their DNA, and, most disturbing of all, disrupts coral larvae endocrine hormones causing baby coral to encase themselves …
Jacques Cousteau’s grandson Fabien Cousteau believes that synthetic, 3D-printed coral might be the thing to save our endangered reefs. According to CNET, “In nature, coral reefs are made up of calcium carbonate skeletons where tiny organisms called polyps take root” and these polyps grow their own reefs too—but only at one centimeter per year. That isn’t fast enough to keep up. Cousteau’s belief (or hope) …
Established in 2006, a remote Hawaiian ocean reserve called Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument covers 140,000 square miles and was protected in order to preserve wildlife and Hawaiian culture. Now, President Obama has more than quadrupled the reserve’s boundary, making it 582,578 square miles—the largest protected area on Earth. As well as being a sanctuary for “blue whales, short-tailed albatrosses, sea turtles, and the last Hawaiian …
