The Reefs Are Dying. So Is My Hope

I used to think the ocean was too big to break. That was before I started logging coral deaths by the hundreds, before the bleaching events started blending together in my head. Today, I read the latest numbers—84% of reefs hit. I stared at the screen, waiting for some part of me to react. But it’s just a number now. Like the grant rejections, like the unread emails from collaborators who’ve stopped replying. We’re supposed to be the ones who fix things. But every time I see another reef turn ghost-white, I wonder if all I’m doing is documenting the end. My PI says, "We have to keep going." I do. But it’s not hope that keeps me here. It’s habit. And guilt. And the silence that comes after the fish are gone. #Science #ScienceFatigue #ClimateGrief