World News for Students of English

18-08-2022 15:00

Results of a study released in 2015 shows a 49% decline in the number of marine species around the world between 1970 and 2012.

The study of marine mammals, ranging from birds to reptiles to fish, highlighted that marine life is disappearing faster than conservationists had feared. The figure is actually 10% higher than previous estimates.

The decline is not only bad news for ecosystems but to humans as well, especially to people in the developing world who depend on the ocean’s resources. As stated in the report, the blame for halving global fish stocks falls heavily on over-fishing and climate change, with the deep-sea fish population down 72%.

Rising water temperatures and increasing acidity have left 3/4 of coral reefs under threat, and it is possible that most coral reefs could die out by 2050. People also fear that a quarter of the world’s sharks, rays and skates could eventually become extinct.

Difficult words: marine (relating to the sea), species (a type of animal), figure (a number), spell (mean), stock (investment), ray (a big fish that moves in the water like a bird), skate (a type of a ray).

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