Scientific evidence has confirmed that globally and in small islands tropical corals are presently at high risk . Severe coral bleaching, together with declines in coral abundance, has been observed in many small islands, especially those in the Pacific and Indian oceans . In the Pacific, median return time between two severe bleaching events has diminished steadily since 1980. The return time is now 6 years and often associated with the warm phase of El Niño-Southern Oscillation  events (high
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report