faq

Our first records of global bleaching really begin in the early 80s. Before then there were infrequent reports of local bleaching. It is the frequency we’ve been seeing in the last 15 years that is worrisome for scientists. Corals can bounce back quickly, but only if we give them the opportunity and right now, the waters are warming too fast for recovery.

Corals may seem simple but they are secretly very sophisticated and have symbiotic relationships that are essential to their existence. One of these relationships is with their zooxanthellae, small algal cells that photosynthesize and provide food for the corals. These algae are also what gives corals their spectacular colors! The scientific explanation starts with these algae. When a coral’s environment becomes abnormally warm, these algae begin to misbehave. They essentially go into overdrive and instead of producing food they produce detrimental molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS). These molecules cause havoc inside the coral cells. The coral has no choice but to expel the algae before these molecules ultimately kill the coral, leaving behind their transparent tissue and stark white skeletons.

Fluorescing is the corals last chance at protecting themselves before they die. They secrete a natural chemical “sunscreen” to help protect themselves from the excess UV radiation that is associated with a bleaching event.

Even if we reach the Paris agreement, our modeling shows that about 90% of global coral reefs will be lost in the coming decades. Recent publications are indicating that by the year 2034 most coral reefs around the world will bleach on an annual basis. This is, again, the reason why the research done by scientists such as those in the Gates Coral Lab and initiatives such as 50 Reefs are going to be instrumental in our preservation for coral reefs around the world.

We’ve just been scratching the surface on the impact corals have on the planet. From the potential corals hold for medicines, to their ability to cope with changing environments, scientists are constantly learning more amazing things about coral. Some of the most hopeful research is looking at coral resilience. During any event where large percentages of corals die there are always survivors. Current research is exploring what makes those corals special!

The Gates Lab in Hawaii, founded by Dr. Ruth Gates who we meet in the film, is researching this idea of super corals. They’re researching how to speed up the evolutionary process to give corals a boost. And they are not the only ones! Research looking at super corals, coral resilience, and thermal tolerance is at the forefront of coral reef science.

Corals can bounce back quickly, but only if we give them the opportunity. If the waters keep warming, we aren’t giving them a chance they need to recover. We’ve seen 500 year old corals deteriorate, so it’s going to take some time for these ecosystems to rebuild. Given 5-10 years, a coral reef can regenerate, however, it will take much longer for the biodiversity and ecological function to return to the way they once were!

This will absolutely impact tourism, and in turn the local communities that relay on it. Tourism is a major driver for economic growth in countries around the world and this will be at risk if we don’t educate ourselves and protect these habitats. Now, there are some cool examples of local communities making a shift from extractive tourism to “conservation tourism.” The same could be done for coral. Imagine planting your own coral at a coral restoration facility!

Unlike mobile and migratory animals, corals require very precise environmental characteristics. As seen in the film, when any of these factors differ from the norm corals can die very quickly. When it comes to migrating north or south to colder waters there are a few factors that disallow this to happen. Corals are photosynthetic organisms and if they moved toward the poles they simply wouldn’t have the light they need to survive the winter months. Our best option is to protect and save what we can. Many of the scientists featured in the film, as well as Richard’s new initiative, 50 Reefs, are doing just that.

Yes and no. Some coral are more resistant to warm waters. The Red Sea for instance, has corals that are regularly under warm conditions. The real discussion is how to maintain the biodiversity of coral. Loss of biodiversity in corals leads to a lack biodiversity of the living things that rely on them. Like Justin Marshall says in the film, the little fish start to be threatened or disappear, then the bigger fish lose their food source and they become threatened, all the way up to us humans who rely on food and products from the ocean. The best thing we can do right now is protect those reefs that are resilient so that when we stabilize the climate, we can replant these reefs.

Some great science is happening around restoration, especially at a local level,  but it is not a practical long-term solution. It’s like saying we should replant all the forests that have been lost, but continue to cut them down.  With planting corals, you lose the natural biodiversity, and to scale this up is logistically challenging and expensive. We can use restoration as an education tool, and get local communities more invested in protecting and monitoring their reefs, but to really save them we need swift climate action.

The first corals on record date back to over 500 million years ago. However, those corals are much, much different than the corals of today. While modern corals have been around for millions of years, they have not faced stressors with the same rapid pace that they do today.

There have been cycles of warming and cooling in our Earth’s history, but not at the frequency we’re experiencing these days. Mass coral bleaching can be tied to El Niño events, which are natural, but the heat content in our oceans are now exacerbating that and we are now seeing these events happen without the assistance of a natural El Niño.

While we chose to make a documentary about coral bleaching and therefore kept our focus beneath the waves, current agricultural practices are a part of the problem, too. It’s hard for everyone to cut out meat entirely, and for some it’s simply not possible, but having one less meal with meat per week, or eating smaller animals that take up less resources, like chicken, is a great way to start. Up until now, the environmentalist mentality has been about sacrifice. Sacrificing eating meat, sacrificing driving a car, etc. People are less likely to sacrifice, and some just aren’t able to. While our personal actions have significant impact, we must call for systemic change in order to save what we have left.

We believe in the power of film to activate individuals, mobilize communities and build bridges. We are working on making sure that this film gets out into the world in a powerful way, and that the passion we hope to spark in others maintains momentum all these years later. Since we premiered on Netflix in 2017, our goal has been to support screenings globally through resources that empower audiences to mobilize locally. We worked with diverse partners to spark local movements around sustainability, and we seek to engage leaders to help us accelerate what Richard calls the “great transformation.”

We’re sad to report the coral bus is currently out of commission. But, we’ve designed a virtual suite of educational resources to help take Zack’s coral bus on the road in spirit! Check out our education page for more info!

We are delighted to be able to offer free educational screening licenses, a VR experience, as well as materials we’ve crafted to help engage students in the classroom. Check out our education page for more info on how you can bring Chasing Coral to a school near you.

Choose a date, time, and place to host your Chasing Coral screening. It can be as big or small as you want, anyone can host a screening! Register your screening to share more details about your event. Our team will follow-up to confirm your event details and logistics and you’ll receive additional screening resources and calls-to-action to help unify our efforts.

There is no cost to share the film. We’re excited to offer FREE screening licenses to anyone interested in organizing an event, big or small.

Check out our Planning Guide for ideas on where and when to book your screening! Depending on the size of your event, you can host screenings anywhere from your living room or backyard, to classrooms and school auditoriums, office meeting rooms, aquariums, museums, and more.

No, booking the venue is up to you. Depending on the size of your event, you can host screenings anywhere from your living room or backyard, to classrooms and school auditoriums, office meeting rooms, aquariums, museums, and more.

No problem, we do not share any event details publicly unless otherwise discussed.

The film is 93 minutes.

Chasing Coral can be streamed or downloaded via iPad from Netflix.

If you don’t have a Netflix account, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial! Visit Netflix.com to get started. The film is also available temporarily on YouTube.

If you have access to an iPad you can download the film to your iPad from Netflix. Once downloaded, you can connect your iPad to either a TV or projector using an HDMI cable, which will allow you to share the film without internet connection or worry of streaming interruptions.

When downloading to an iPad, you can select to download the film at higher quality to ensure best results for your screening.

In an effort to safeguard the film from piracy, Chasing Coral can only be shared through Netflix streaming and/or iPad download for non-commercial events.

Festival and film series screenings are handled a bit differently. Please contact us to be connected with a member of our team to chat further about your event and screening options.

Yes, Netflix offers up several language options for subtitles including: English, Spanish (Neutral), French, German, Italian, Malaysian, Indonesian, and more. If needed, we are happy to provide a transcript if your desired subtitles are not available.

Yes, Netflix offers subtitled and dubbed versions in English, Spanish (Neutral), French, German, and Italian.

Yes! We’d love to share our VR experience with anyone who’s interested. You will need 
to provide your own VR equipment though. Contact us to learn more about our VR offering.

While a requirement to share the film is that all screenings be free to the public, suggested donations are acceptable.

While we don’t publicly promote individual screenings, upon completion of the Registration Form, our team will provide you with promotional materials to help you spread the word!

While we wish we could be at every screening, we have a Discussion Guide to help communities continue the conversation without us.

At the moment, we’re focused on our community screening program. If you have additional questions, please contact us to be connected with a member of our team to chat further.

Festival and conference screenings are handled a bit differently. Please contact us to be connected with a member of our team to chat further about your event.

Chasing Coral has worked with educators to develop a set of lessons to engage 6-12th grade students before and after the film and a longer-term exhibition project. We’re also pleased to offer VR to any schools with access to VR equipment. Check out our education page for more info.

We’re sad to report the coral bus is currently out of commission. But, we’ve designed a virtual suite of educational resources to help take Zack’s coral bus on the road in spirit! Check out our education page for more info.