Conservation: Back in 1999, I made an upsetting discovery. By comparing the temperature tolerance of reef-building corals with the projected effects of rising carbon dioxide levels, I found that the oceans would soon grow too warm for corals to bear, meaning that coral-dominated systems like the Great Barrier Reef would disappear within 30-40 years.
Much as I tried to find a mistake in my reasoning and calculations, the numbers kept telling me that one of the worlds most diverse ecosystems would disappear...