Cuba’s south coast is facing one of the worst coral bleaching events

Cuba’s south coast is facing one of the worst coral bleaching events: Cuba’s once colorful corals are facing widespread bleaching as a result of warming waters, preliminary observations from a first time study on the health of Cuba’s reef, fish, and sea life found, Reuters reports. The two-year “Bojeo a Cuba”' study — still a week from completion — off Cuba’s south-central coast has reached a sweltering 32°C and above, the expedition scientists conducting the study told Reuters in interviews. The recent bleaching has affected 60-80% of corals in the area under study, an expedition biologist and researcher at the park said. The expedition's scientists also noticed a decline in larger specimens of fish like grouper, snapper, and sharks, Cuban marine biologist and expedition co-leader Fabian Pina said.

Not all bad news: Cuba’s corals are known to be among the world's most pristine and resilient, one of the biologists told Reuters. “We are finding natural wonders almost everywhere we go,” the biologist said, noting that many of Cuba's keys and mangrove forests are far more intact than in Florida and some Caribbean neighbors. In Florida, just 145 km from Cuba, temperatures have soared, prompting US scientists to warn of the potential for catastrophic bleaching.

Climate scientists launching AI tool to track progress on net-zero pledges: AI company Arboretica, research lab Data-Driven EnviroLab (DDL), and the Net Zero Tracker data collection project will launch the AI platform ChatNetZero to analyze climate data to evaluate the progress of companies and countries who have made net-zero pledges, The National reports. Users of ChatNetZero will also be able to ask the platform about climate policies rolled out by different countries and companies to “help demystify net-zero commitments,” DDL founder Angel Hsu told the news outlet. The tool will help increase accountability of net-zero pledges, putting pressure on institutions to commit to reducing their emissions. Users will eventually be able to upload documents such as new corporate climate plans and run them under Chat Net Zero’s nose. More than a third of the world's biggest firms still have no climate goals in place, Net Zero Tracker found in its 2023 Stocktake.