TAKING ACTION

Raising awareness by combining art, science, industry and education, preserving coral reefs and jobs at a lace factory in Puy-en-Velay: this is what French artist Jérémy Gobé is fighting for. He has worked with scientists to invent a biodegradable textile mesh. Puy-en-Velay mesh was created more than 400 years ago, and is now being used to protect existing coral and can even be used as a substrate to generate new coral. Coral reefs not only reduce storm and hurricane damage but are important in determining the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and are home to 25% of marine life. If we do not rapidly reduce global warming, pollution, overfishing and other threats, these organisms teeming with life will disappear.