"20 New Species Of Coral Listed As Threatened"

"WASHINGTON — The federal government is protecting 20 types of colorful coral by putting them on the list of threatened species, partly because of climate change.

As with the polar bear, much of the threat to the coral species is because of future expected problems due to global warming, said David Bernhart, an endangered-species official at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These coral species are already being hurt by climate change 'but not to the point that they are endangered yet,' he said.

Climate change is making the oceans warmer, more acidic and helping with coral diseases like bleaching — and those 'are the major threats' explaining why the species were put on the threatened list, Bernhart said in a Wednesday conference call."

Seth Borenstein report for the Associated Press August 27, 2014.